Bleach, Mitsuki Kurosaki
by Darkhybrid
Summary: Mitsuki is Ichigo's older adopted sister. She is half shinigami and half ice wolf youkai (demon), thoguh only she and Ichi know this (minus the shinigami part). She joins Ichigo on his adventures.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I've become slightly obsessed with Bleach and decided to write a fanfiction. The idea has been jumping around in my head for a while.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, only my oc Mitsuki

**Warnings:** THIS WILL BE SLASH AND FEMSLASH. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THAT THEN IT THE BACK BUTTON AND GO AWAY!*coughs and clears throat* Ahem. Anyway. I may add more warnings later on. Maybe.

**Basic information on my OC:**

**Name: **Mitsuki Kurosaki

**Age: **16 (she's a year older than Ichigo)

**What she looks like:** straight, waist length dark blue hair, amber brown eyes, tan skin, 5.6 ft tall

**Background: **Mitsuki is Ichigo's older adopted sister. Masaki found her in an deserted ally when she was 5 and took her home. Ichi and Mitsuki hit it off right away and became best friends and siblings. Mitsuki is half shinigami and half ice wolf youkai (demon), thoguh only she and Ichi know this. Mitsuki can transform into a wolf ( she has a black coat, but the tip of her tail, ears, and paws are snow white) and control ice and water. Her senses are hightened and she has incredible speed and reflexes and her healing is super fast. Her reiatsu is as great as Ichi's, but she has a bit more control of it.

_Chapter One_

Mitsuki collapsed on her brother's bed with a tired sigh, stretching her arms and legs out. She was tired from the long day at school and wanted to take a nap. Ichigo ignored her for the moment as he grumbled to himself, though both siblings paused when they saw a black swallowtail butterfly fluttering around the room. Mitsuki blinked in confusion, her eyes drawn to the person that had suddenly appeared in the room. She and Ichigo shared a glance of confusion and shock.

"Wha..." Ichigo started.

"It is near...!" the person, a female by the look and sound of them, said.

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and sat up, catching the look on her brother's face. "Ichi-chan, wai-"

Continuing to ignore her, Ichigo kicked the girl. " 'It is near' my ass, retard! You're a pretty confident burglar eh!? By 'It is near...!' do you mean that like the safe is near or something!?"

Mitsuki facepalmed. "Baka." She muttered.

Ichigo shot her a glare.

"Y...you can see me...? I mean to say, did you just kick..."

"Huh? What the heck are you talking about? Of course I can see.."

Mitsuki eyed the girl, noticing her look of utter surprise and confusion. _Either a ghost or a shinigami, _she thought to herself. She went with shinigami when she felt the reiatsu coming from the girl and saw the sword. She jumped slightly when her father suddenly burst into the room, kneeing Ichigo hard in the back, making her wince with sympathy.

"Be quiet Ichigo! Don't make a ruckus on the 2nd floor!" Isshin Kurosaki yelled.

Ichigo punched him. "You be quiet! How can I not make a ruckus! Look at this guy! What the heck is going on with the security system in this house!?" he yelled, pointing to the girl.

Mitsuki sighed, shaking her head, and caught the shinigami's eyes for a moment. She sent the girl a small smile, much to the other girl's astonishment.

"Umm? What do you mean look...look at what? What is he talking about Mitsuki?" he asked, turning to his eldest daughter.

Mitsuki smiled at her dad. "It's nothing, dad." she reassured him.

Ichigo glared at her. "Huh? I'm talking about this samurai costumed..."

"It is useless. It is not possible for ordinary men to see me. I am a 'shinigami'."

Mitsuki grinned. _So I was right._

_/_

"So you're a shinigami... and you came from a place called Soul Society to exterminate an evil spirit. Ok! I believe you!... Yeah right, like I could believe that, retard!"

Mitsuki rolled her eyes as Ichigo flipped over a table. So dramatic.

"You... you can see ghosts but you do not believe in the existence of shinigami!" the unknown girl yelled in disbelief.

"Of course not! Unfortunately, I've never seen a shinigami. I don't believe in things I can't see."

Mitsuki stared. "Baka. Obviously she's a shinigami."

Ichigo glared at his older sister before turning back to the girl. "Dad couldn't see you so I'll admit that you're not human. However, quit the shinigami crap got it, you little brat."

Mitsuki knew her brother was in for it when she saw the murderous look on the girl's face.

"First Restraint! Obstruction!"

Mitsuki stared as Ichigo collapsed to the ground, stuggling against what seemed like invisible ropes. She snickered slightly.

"Ow ow ow ouch! Y...you...what'd you do...!" the orangette yelled.

"Fufu, you cannot move! This is called demon form and it is an advanced incantation only shinigami can use! Even though I look like this, I have been alive almost 10 times longer than you have. And you dare to call me a little brat? Usually, I would kill fellows like you, but spiritual law states that one cannot kill humans they have not been ordered to kill. And your sister seems nice. I will have to be content with just sealing your movements. Give thanks you little brat and..."

Mitsuki would of tensed when the girl drew her sword had she not seen the ghost beside Ichigo. The girl touched the hilt to the man's head, leaving behind a mark.

"Wha? N...no..I...don't want to go to hell yet...!" the man cried.

"Do not fear. The place you are headed is not hell. It is Soul Soiety. Unlike hell, it is a peaceful place."

Them man was enveloped by light and soon disappeared. Mitsuki blinked in slight shock. She listened intently as the girl went on to explain about spirits and hollows, as well the duties of a shnigami. She laughed when the girl drew a mustache on her brother, earning a glare from him and a smirk from the shinigami. She frowned with worry when the shinigami explained her mission.

Suddenly, she heard a loud voice, making her tense with a sense of foreboding. "Uh, shinigami," she called calmly.

The girl looked at her. "Yes?"

"...Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"What do you mean what! Didn't you hear that huge voice just now!?" Ichigo yelled from the floor.

"Huge voice? When did..."

The girl tensed when the voice came again, signaling that she had heard it too this time. Mitsuki shared a concerned look with her brother. A scream rang through the air, making Mitsuki jump to her feet.

"That's Yuzu's voice...!" she and Ichigo exclaimed.

The shinigami started to dash out of the room.

"Hey! Wait up, where are you going!? Was that voice from before a hollow's!?" Ichigo yelled.

"Yes! I will go and get rid of it! You two stay here!"

Mitsuki frowned. "The hell I'm staying here!"

"Cut the crap! The one getting attacked is my family! Release this spell! Hurry!" Ichigo cried, struggling harder against the binds.

"What are you saying!? Even if you two come, there is nothing you can do! The number of victims will just rise by two! Leave it to me and stay here quietly! Got it!?"

Mitsuki felt her brother's spiritual force rise, her own rising with it. Both were desperate to protect their family, even if it cost them their life. the shinigami opened the door and the two Kurosakis tensed with fear and worry when the heard Karin's voice.

"Ichi... Suki... you two ok...?"

"Karin!" the two siblings yelled when they saw their sister, blood on her and in pain.

Their hearts nearly broke as she explained what happened before falling unconscious. Mitsuki ran to her side, gathing the small body in her arms and craddling her to her chest with tears in her eyes. She barely paid attention as Ichigo fought harder, the shinigami ordering him to stop. She only had eyes for her possibly dying sister.

"Karin," she whimpered, brushing a few strands of hair out of her sister's face.

Her head shot up when Ichigo ran by her, baseball bat in hand. She gently laid Karin down and raced after him, blood turning cold when she saw the scene before them. She ran to her father's body and checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when she found one. She kissed the top of his head and looked up at Ichigo, seeing his gaze locked on something. She followed it, heart stopping when she saw the monster outside. She jumped up when she caught sight of Yuzu in its grip.

"Yuzu!"

"... Ichigo... Mitsuki...!"

Ichigo ran at the thing holding their sister, bat raised.

"Ichigo wait!" Mitsuki cried.

It was in vain, as Ichigo refused to stop, hell bent on getting revenge. Mitsuki flinched when her brother was tossed aside harshly, smashing into a wall. She sighed in relief when the shinigami showed up, slashing at the hollow with her sword. The hollow released Yuzu, Ichigo catching her as she fell. Mitsuki ran up to them and took Yuzu into her arms, cradling the eleven year old to her. Ichigo relaxed slightly, knowing his older sister would take care of her. Mitsuki carried the blonde twin away from the hollow, gently laying her on the ground with a kiss on her forehead.

"Yuzu?" she said softly.

Yuzu blinked groggily at her. "S-suki?"

Mitsuki hugged her tightly. "Oh thank god."

"M'tired."

"Then go to sleep little one."

Yuzu surrendered to the darkness, going limp in her sister's arms. Mitsuki's breath hitched and she reluctantly released the blonde and ran to join her brother and the shinigami. She froze when she saw her brother facing the hollow, defenseless. The hollow lunged at him, the shinigami appearing and getting bit instead. Mitsuki ran forward and put a hand on the shinigami's shoulder as she collapsed to her knees. She listened to the conversation between her brother and the girl, relief filling her when she heard that there was still a chance to save their family. She heard Yuzu talking to herself, drawing Ichigo's attention. Listening to his youngest sister sealed his fate. His decision was made. Mitsuki could see it on his face.

"Give me the sword, shinigami! Let's give your idea a try!"

"It is not 'shinigami'. It is 'Kuchiki Rukia'."

"I see... I'm Kurosaki Ichigo and this is Mitsuki. Let's pray this doesn't become the last greeting... for all three of us."

Mitsuki watched as her brother stabbed himself in the chest with Rukia's sword. The following events shocked both Rukia and Mitsuki. Mitsuki couldn't help but feel pride as her younger brother defeated the hollow. She was so focused on the fight, she missed Rukia's mutterings.

/

Mitsuki snickered softly as Ichigo hit Tatsuki in the head with his bag and sat down in her seat. "Sorry to disappoint you, Tatsuki-chan, but nobody was injured." she said with a grin.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes while Orihime proceeded to greet Ichigo, who took his seat in front of Mitsuki.

"So you two came?" Mizuiro asked, turning to them.

Mitsuki nodded. "Yup."

"What's third period?" Ichigo asked.

"Social Studies." Mizuiro answered.

"Ochi-san, eh? Well, he won't bother us about it much."

"You're... are you Kurosaki-kun? Nice to meet you."

Mitsuki looked up at the familiar voice and blinked when she saw Rukia Kuchiki in the seat beside her brother.

"Oh. This is Kuchiki-san. She transfered in today. It's a weird time, but her family was in a situation where they had to move suddenly." Mizuiro explained.

Mitsuki waved happily, getting a brief small smile from the shinigami. "Hello, Kuchiki-san! It's nice to meet such a pretty girl!"

Rukia flushed, blinking. "Uh, thank you?"

"Y...you...why!?" Ichigo asked, pointing.

"Kurosaki-kun, I don't have the textbooks yet. Let me...may I look at yours?" Rukia asked, holding her hand out.

Mitsuki snorted when she saw the words written on the other girl's hand. _Well, things are going to get real interesting around here._

_/_

Mitsuki followed her brother, skipping slightly, aware of Rukia's eyes on her. Currently, the trio was outside the school as Ichigo wanted to confront the shinigami. Mitsuki couldn't wait, knowing that no matter what happened, it would be amusing.

"Where are we going? Leading me to such an empty place? What dost thou intend of me?" Rukia asked, glancing around.

"Stop that weird way of talking!" Ichigo snapped.

"I think it's cute." Mitsuki hummed, sending a wink to the petite girl.

Rukia flushed slightly.

"Shut up, Suki!" the orangette turned to Rukia. "Just explain what's going on!"

"Explain?"

"Yeah! Isn't your job over? Why are you in my class? Didn't you go back to that Soul Society place!?"

"You fool! Only shinigami can return to Soul Society. Right now, I am unable to return there, as I lost my shinigami powers." Rukia stated.

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and looked at her brother. "I somehow get the feeling that, that's your fault Ichi-chan."

Ichigo spluttered. "My fault? How the heck is it my fault!? I'm no longer a shinigami so-"

"Obviously the power is in your soul, Ichi-chan, not your body. Hence the name _Soul_ Reaper." Mitsuki said.

Rukia nodded. "Mitsuki is right. Your soul has become shinigami. Anyway, last night i had almost all my powers taken by you! I have barely any abilities left. I'm even forced to be in this artificial body!"

"Artificial?" asked Mitsuki, interest clear in her eyes.

"It is we shinigami's other body, to be used in emergency situations. A weakened shinigami enters it to wait for his powers to recover."

"So a human form."

"Yes. Weakened shinigami are targets for hollows, so we act like a human."

"So, what does this have to do with us?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia smirked. "Until my powers return you will take over my shinigami duties!"

Mitsuki blinked before she burst out laughing at the look on her brother's face. "That was priceless! Man I wish I had a camera." she snickered, whiping tears from her eyes.

"You're the one that has the shinigami powers now. I will assist you, of course. Also, you have no right to refuse, since you were-"

"I refuse!"

Mitsuki cuffed the back of her brother's head. "You will do this, Ichi-chan. You have responsibilities, very important ones, now. Without you're assistance, our town will be in constant danger. So man up, bro!"

Ichigo whined. "But Suki! I only helped cuz dad and the twins were in danger."

Niether noticed Rukia put on a glove or run at them. Mitsuki stared as her brother's soul was forced from his body, which collapsed to the ground. She covered her mouth to stop the snickers that wanted to escape.

"Follow me." Rukia ordered.

Mitsuki immediately straightened and started after the shinigami, her brother quickly getting to his feet to chase after them. The trio quietly walked through the town, Mitsuki noticing that they were heading in the direction of the park. She remembered seeing a ghost around there sometimes and wondered if that was the reason they were there. They came to a stop and Mitsuki leaned back against the pole behind her. She grew bored as about 20 minutes passed and nothing happened.

"Wait. It will be here soon." Rukia stated suddenly.

Ichigo rounded on her. "What's soon!? We've been here for 20 min-"

"Does a spirit appear near this park?"

Ichigo paused at the seemingly random question. "Ah, yeah, one does. A five year old kid. He usually plays here around twelve."

"Your friend?"

"What the!? I've just seen him 3-4 times. Never even spoke to him."

Rukia held out what looked to be a phone. Ichigo grabbed it and eyed it, Mitsuki looking over his shoulder.

"What's this?"

"An order. From Soul Society. It means, within 15 minutes of 12, 20-meters vicinity of Yumizawa Children's Park a hollow will appear. Most likely, that child will be attacked."

Both Mitsuki and Ichigo tensed. Just then they heard a child-like scream. The spirit of the little boy ran towards them, a hollow hot on his trail. Mitsuki stared, horrified, while Ichigo grabbed his sword. He made to run at the hollow, but Rukia's voice stopped him.

"Wait! You're going to help him? Isn't he a stranger?"

Ichigo gaped at her. "Wh-what are you talking about!? How can I not help someone that's right in front of me!?" he yelled.

"Whether it's in front of you or far away, it doesn't change the fact that he's being attacked! "

Before them, the little boy tripped. Mitsuki whimpered slightly, motherly instincts kicking in. She wanted nothing more than to protect him from the monster behind him, but was powerless at the moment even with her demon abilities. Ichigo made a move to go help.

"Don't help him!" Rukia yelled, stopping him. "Even if you save that kid here, nothing will matter if you don't become a shinigami! Saving him because he's right in front of you!? Don't be naive. A shinigami has to treat all spirits equally! You cannot just conveniently save those you can reach! Don't save that kid with such half-heartedness! If you want to save him now, accept that you must save all spirits! To go anywhere for them! To even give your life to save them, make that kind of commitment!"

Mitsuki put her had comfortingly on Ichigo's shoulder. "She's right, Ichigo." she whispered.

Ichigo clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword and ran at the hollow, slicing off one of it's legs and tossing it aside. Pride filled Mitsuki as her brother defeated the hollow and agreed to help Rukia (even though he had a mini rant added to the acception). Their lives would be different from now on and Mitsuki couldn't wait for their next adventure.

**I'm unsure of who Mitsuki will end up, but there might be a lot of flirting. She could end up with either gender though and there might be minor flings before she settles down. I'm still unsure... Anyway, hope you liked the story:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I've become slightly obsessed with Bleach and decided to write a fanfiction. The idea has been jumping around in my head for a while.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, only my oc Mitsuki

**Warnings:** THIS WILL BE SLASH AND FEMSLASH

_Chapter Two_

Mitsuki watched boredly as Ichigo and Rukia started their daily bickering. It amused her to see Rukia, a petite female, berate and abuse her brother, a tall male who was always scowling. Ichigo was complaining about the training Rukia was putting him through, clearly finding it pointless. Mitsuki rolled her eyes and tsked.

"Listen to her Ichigo. She knows what she's doing."

Rukia nodded. "See! Mitsuki understands."

Ichigo scowled. "Then why don't you train her?!"

"I'm not the substitute soul reaper." Mitsuki said in a 'duh' tone..

The orangette's scowl deepened.

Rukia sighed and sat on the table Mitsuki was seated at. "I shall explain the importance of this training, so listen. A Hollow's weakness is its head. If you slice the head, you can defeat it in one blow. The training is so that you can accurately hit the head in any situation."

Ichigo, having also sat down, sent her a confused look. "Why do I have to do that? I've been beating them fine so far."

Mitsuki shook her head. "Just do the training, Ichi. It'll help you in the long run, as well as teach you to get rid of the hollows more quickly."

"Exactly. You have yet to defeat a hollow in one hit. Sneaking up to a hollow and defeating it in one hit is the basics of defeating them. It's a miracle that you have remained unscathed so far, from the way that you've been fighting."

Ichigo glared. "Attaching from behind? How can I fight so dirty like that?"

"Fool! Save that stuff for fights against humans! Your opponents are ollows! The same ruled do not apply. If you keep talking naively like that, you'll end up dead."

Mitsuki grinned inwardly when she spotted Orihime walking up to them, deciding to stay silent about her presence when she noticed that the other two had yet to notice her.

"But that's-"

"Hello, Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime yelled cheerfully.

Mitsuki fell off the bench as she let out bursts of laughter after watching the priceless expressions from Rukia and Ichigo. Ignoring the dark looks she got from both, she got up and gave Orihime a hug, a couple giggles escaping.

"Hello, Ori-chan! Doing some shopping?" she asked, taking note of the bag in the other's hand.

Orihime nodded. "Yup! I bought onions and butter and bananas and gelatin!"

_I really don't wanna know what she plans to make,_ Mitsuki thought.

"What are you doing here, Mitsuki?" Then Orihime noticed Rukia. "Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia eyed her. "Who the hell are you?"

"Idiot! That's Inoue! She's in our class!" Ichigo hissed.

Mitsuki giggled when Rukia suddenly smiled and curtsied, her giggles turning to amused chuckles when Orihime did the same. "You two are so adorable."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "You sure adorable is the right word?" he muttered.

Mitsuki elbowed him in the ribs. "Be nice."

He glared at her. "I could say the same to you."

She gave him an innocent look. "Whatever are you talking about, dear brother? I assure you I'm a perfectly nice person."

"Tsk, sure." Another eye roll. Glancing at Orihime, he frowned. "What's wrong with your arm? You fall down?"

"Oh, this? No, I was hit by a car."

"A car?! Are you alright?!" Mitsuki exclaimed, checking her over head to toe. She gasped when she saw the bruise on her leg, which looked like somewhat like a bite mark for some odd reason, she noted. "Your leg..."

Rukia knelt down next to her to get a closer look at the mark. "Can I see It?"

"Sure, go ahead. I think I got this last night too, so I think it must have been when I was hit by the car." Orihime stated.

Rukia's eyes narrowed in deep thought, realization filling her.

"Kuchiki-san? What's with the scary face?"

Rukia started. "Huh? Oh, no. I was just thinking it looks painful."

Orihime's eyes widened. "Wow! You're right! My leg hurts much worse than my arm!"

Mitsuki looked at Rukia. "It was a hollow wasn't it?" she whispered.

Rukia nodded. "Yes, it was."

"I thought so. The mark resembles a hand or something of the like."

Rukia nodded again, lost in thought.

Mitsuki turned her attention to her friend and brother, shaking her head at her brother's obliviousness as she watched them chat. How could he not see that she was crushing hard on him? Orihime suddenly started leave, declaring that it was late.

"Bye, Ori-chan! I'll see you at school tomorrow!" Mitsuki called after the girl.

Orihime nodded and waved before disappearing. Mitsuki shook her head fondly. She adored Orihime, even if she ate weird foods and worried her constantly.

"That Inoue girl, are you close?" Rukia suddenly asked.

Ichigo shrugged. "Not really. Well, I guess so. She's best friends with Mitsuki and someone who's lived in my neighborhood since 8th grade."

"Any family?"

"One. An older brother, Sora." Mitsuki said, sadness in her tone. "He died 3 years ago."

Ichigo nodded. "I was the one who opened the door, so I remember it well. It was as Suki and I were about to leave for school. The clinic wasn't open, yet I heard the bell ring. A girl was there with her brother on her back."

"It was a car accident." Mitsuki added. "Blood was everywhere. There was nothing we could do with our equipment. He died before the ambulance to take him to a big hospital arrived. I spent the next few hours calming Orihime down."

"Why are you asking this, you seem interested in her." Ichigo stated to Rukia.

"Not really. I'm not interested." the blackette responded, turning away.

"Wha-what the hell is that?!"

"Now, lets go home, too."

Ichigo sweatdropped. "Oh yeah, where do you always leave to? You have nowhere to live here."

"She could always bunk with me!" Mitsuki stated, sending a wink to the petite girl.

Rukia flushed. "Uh,"

"Seriously, Ruk. I wouldn't mind sharing my room with you. I could always tell dad that your family is out of town on business and you don't wish to stay home alone."

Rukia smiled at her. "I'd love to stay with you."

Mitsuki beamed and hugged her tightly. "Yay! I've always wanted a roommate!"

Rukia laughed and hugged her back.

/

Mitsuki was sitting on her bed reading with Rukia stretched out next to her when the beeping noise suddenly came. The bluette turned to the female next to her with a raised eyebrow, watching as she took out the familiar phone-like device. She read the order, her eyes widening. SHe shot up and ran out of the room, Mitsuki right on her heels. The two burst into Ichigo's room, making the orangette jump up in surprise. He glared darkly at the duo.

"What the he-"

"Ichigo! It's an order!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Order? Meaning a hollow will appear!? Where!?"

"The time and place," she started, lunging for him as she slipped on her glove, "are here and now!"

Just then a giant hand burst from where Ichigo's bed was. Mitsuki stared at it with wide eyes, her jaw dropping slightly when the hollow suddenly appeared in the room with a loud roar. Ichigo swiped at it, going for the head at Rukia's command, but his blade didn't go deep enough and part of the hollow's mask fell off. Mitsuki froze, staring at the spot the hollow had just vanished from, her blood running cold.

"He got away. We're going after him!" Rukia declared, getting ready to leave.

"Wait!" Ichigo stopped her. "What's going on? That was Inoue's big brother!"

Rukia sent him a sad look. "I told you that sneaking up from behind and killing it in one hit was the basics against a hollow, right. That's to protect against being damaged. But, there's also one more important reason. To kill them in one hit and avoid seeing the hollow's identity! Because all hollows are the soal of formerly normal humans!"

Ichigo grabbed her by the collar of the shirt, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?! Normal humans!? You never told me this! Are't they monsters!? Aren't they things that must be defeated!?" he yelled.

"Yes!" Rukia responded just as loudly. "They are monsters! They must be defeated!"

"Now? So then, what I've been killing are-"

"We have no time for a discussion. That girl will die!"

Ichigo's eyes widened and Mitsuki jerked out of her daze. Grabbing both girls, Ichigo jumped out his bedroom window and started leaping from roof to roof, trying to get to Orihime's quickly.

"Hollows attack their families!?" Ichigo asked, glancing back at Rukia, who confirmed it. "Why is that!? Don't ollows eat souls when they're hungry!? Aren't they indiscriminate!?"

"The hollows that indiscriminately attack humans and other spirits are the ones that have already eaten their families."

Mitsuki and Ichigo stared at her in shock.

"And one more thing. Hollows don't eat souls because they're hungry. They eat souls to ease their pain and suffering. A hollow is a 'fallen soul', souls that weren't brought to the soul society by a shinigami. Souls that escaped. Souls that weren't protected from hollows. The soul degenerates, loses it's heart and becomes a hollow. And, a soul that becomes a hollow, to fill it's empty heart, seek out those it loved most in a past life.

"You often hear stories about a husband dying and then the wife dying a few years afterwards, right? That's because the husband became a hollow and ate the wife's soul. Today, when we saw Inoue, she had a large mark on her leg, right? That was a hollow bite mark. That's why I asked you 'does she have family' and Mitsuki said 'an older brother'. If you are right that this older brother is her only family then there's no doubt. Inoue will be the one who is attacked!"

Tears gathered in Mitsuki's eyes, relief filling her when they arrived at Orihime's. Ichigo quickly set the girls down before going into the house. Mitsuki paced worriedly, jumping when there was an explosion and her brother was suddenly thrown out of the apartment, landing hard on the ground.

"Ichigo!" she and Rukia yelled, running to him.

"Ichi, wake up! Ichigo!" Mitsuki yelled, shaking him.

Ichigo groaned, sitting up. "I'm fine, Suki."

Mitsuki hugged him tightly. "Thank kami."

"What happened?" demanded Rukia.

"Nothing. This is just different from before. It affected me."

"I see. Well then, that's fine, but don't forget. If you lose he will eat Inoue's soul!"

Ichigo nodded and stood, leaping up into Inoue's apartment. Rukia huffed as she watched him before turning to Mitsuki.

"How are we going to get inside? He could have at least unlocked the front door."

Mitsuki snickered and wrapped an arm around the petite girl's waist. "Hold onto me."

Rukia flushed and looked at her confused. "What? Why?"

"Just trust me."

The blackette wrapped her arms around the amber eyed girl, gasping in surprise when Mitsuki jumped into the air, landing swiftly on her feet inside Orihime's apartment. Rukia stared at her, her jaw dropped.

"How...?"

Mitsuki winked. "I have secrets too." she said before turning to the scene before her. Her blood froze when she saw Orihime's soul, blood covering her. "Orihime,"

"Inoue!" Ichigo yelled.

"Don't panic! She can still be saved!" Rukia exclaimed.

Ichigo turned to her, spotting his sister by he side. "Rukia, Mitsuki,"

"The 'Chain of Fate' on her chest hasn't been broken yet! As long as that is connected to the body, the spirit isn't dead! She can be saved with my demon arts!" she went to Orihime's side, glaring at Sora. "You're in the way of the healing. Move back!"

Sora did so, a look of pain and sadness on his face and in his eyes. "Yeah, in truth, I knew that, Orihime, that you stopped praying to not to worry me. But even so, I wanted you to pray for me, because only during the time you were praying for me your heart was all mine."

Mitsuki walked up to Sora and put her hand on his shoulder, making him turn to her. "You never left her heart, Sora. Her hairpins, they were a gift from you, yes? Orihime told me about them. They were the first present from you. That's why she wears them everyday. She loves you Sora. Don't ever forget that." she said softly.

"It's the same, those that die and those that survive, both are just as sad as the other." Ichigo added. "Don't be so selfish to think that you are the only one who's sad."

"I never noticed." Sora whispered and turned suddenly to Ichigo.

"H-hey, what are you-" Sora grabbed the blade and used it to break the rest of the mask. "You-what are you do...!?"

"It's fine. If I stay like this, I'll someday once again lose myself and come after Orihime. That's why, right now, while I have regained a small part of myself, I want to disappear."

Ichigo gaped at him. "But why... you don't have-"

"Ichigo!" Rukia called. "His decision is correct. Once you become a hollow you will never revert back! Let him disappear."

"Rukia!"

"Don't worry. 'Cutting' a hollow is not the same as 'killing' them. It is a way to wash away their sins." she said softly, looking up at him. "By cutting the with the zanpakutou their sins are washed away, and they can go to soul society. That's why we shinigami exist."

"Then goodbye, Orihime." Sora whispered.

Mitsuki sniffled, tears silently falling down her face.

Orihime smiled at Sora. "Brother, goodbye."

Sora's eyes widened before he smiled and disappeared forever.

"He's gone." Ichigo stated.

"Yup." Orihime said.

"How are your wounds?"

"Oh, yeah. Almost completely... n-nevermind that, Kurosaki-kun! There's so many things I want to ask-" Rukia flashed something in her face."...you..." she toppled over, unconscious.

"Inoue!? What did you do!?" he rounded on Rukia.

"This is a memory chikan! It erases her memory and substitutes a new one. We can't have her tell others."

"That makes sense." Mitsuki said, wiping her eyes clear of tears.

Rukia nodded. "Yes. Well, the fact that the new memories are random is kind of the problem. Hmm, this one probably didn't see anything but might as well use it on her too." she said, observing Tatsuki. "If you don't understand, wait til tomorrow."

*Next Day at school*

"It's true! A sumo wrestler really came to my room and shot a bazooka at the wall!" Orihime exclaimed, the others looking at her as if they didn't believe her.

"You and your imagination again," one of her friend commented.

"Well, I actually like that childish brain of hers." Chizuru responded, watching Orihime.

"It's true! Right, Tatsuki-chan!?" Orihime declared.

"Oh,y-yeah." Tatsuki woke from her daze.

"Tatsuki says this too!?"

Ichigo stared. "I see." he muttered.

"Yup. It worked well, right?" Rukia said, staring as well.

Mitsuki snickered. Her life was never boring.

**Hope you liked the story:) Sorry for the wait.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

Mitsuki walked beside Ichigo as she and the rest of her family headed up the hill, on their way to Masaki's grave. The sun was glaring down at her, the air unusually warm. The bluenette was glad she had decided to wear shorts and a tank top, else she would have died of heat stroke. The weather was killing her, even more so because she was a creature of ice and snow. Sighing, she glanced at her brother, frowning slightly. She knew he still thought he was the one that killed their mother, despite what she had tried to tell him. It saddened her, to know that he felt he was the reason Masaki had died and nothing she could say would change his mind.

"Boy, this hill is really steep." she heard Yuzu say, pulling Mitsuki from her thoughts. The twins were a little ways in front of her.

"Is it? It doesn't bother me." Karin spoke next. "But if you say things like that..."

"Hang in there, Yuzu! Don't give up!" their nutjob of a father suddenly yelled, moving so he was on his hands instead of his feet. "Dad is on your side!"

Both Mitsuki and Ichigo rolled their eyes.

"Ignore him, Yuzu." Karin muttered, continuing forward. "If you pay attention to guys like him, it will only encourage him."

Their father's eyes narrowed with a glint of what could be determination, Mitsuki wasn't always sure with him. "How naive. Even if you ignore me, I am automatically encouraged!" he said, moving quickly to the twins, still on his hands.

Mitsuki sighed and looked at Ichigo. "Why must he be so crazy?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Dunno, but I'm glad I took after kaa-chan the most."

"She would have been proud of you, you know. Of the man you're becoming." Mitsuki told him quietly, ignoring her father, who was currently rolling down the hill due to a well placed kick from Karin.

Ichigo glanced at her, a flicker of pain flashing through his eyes. "How would you know?"

"Because I'm proud of you. And she loved you. Nothing you do, or did, could have made her love you any less. She was always proud of you, Ichigo." She hugged him tightly when his eyes became wet with unshed tears.

"Thank you." he muttered to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She smiled at him.

"Oh. Someone else is here."

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow at Karin words and turned, not that surprised to see Rukia.

"It's Rukia-san. I wonder if she's here to see a grave too." Yuzu thought aloud.

"Huh? But... she's waving."

Indeed she was. Mitsuki chuckled. "You two go ahead and visit mom's grave. Ichi and I'll go talk with Rukia." she said, kissing the top of their heads as she passed them on her way up to Rukia, Ichigo quickly following her.

"Okay, nee-chan!" Yuzu waved.

Mitsuki linked arms with the soul reaper and dragged her away to the forest and on to a path she had walked many times. When they came to a stop, Rukia turned to face Ichigo with her arms crossed while the orangette scowled at her.

"Why the heck did you follow us here?" he demanded.

"Idiot! What if a hollow appears while I'm not around?"

"I mean... if you're going to follow us, be more discreet!"

"Ichi, she doesn't have to be discreet since the twins and pops already know about her." Mitsuki stated.

Ichigo turned his scowl on her. "Shut up, Mitsuki. And you! What are you mad about!"

"I'm not really mad..." Rukia said before looking at the ground, a thoughtful look on her face. "'Killed'. That's what you said about your mother, right?"

"I didn't say that."

"Who killed her?"

"I never said that. Forget it."

Mitsuki frowned, a bit confused as to why Rukia was suddenly asking these questions, especially today of all days.

"You've said you've been able to see spirits ever since you could remember, didn't you? Then answer one question. The one wo killed your mother... Wasn't it a hollow?"

Ichigo's eyes widened and Mitsuki tensed.

"There is that your spiritual capabilities were such if you were able to see souls since you were so little, the Hollow that came after you may have killed your mother by mistake-!"

Ichigo's eyes clenched shut and he gritted his teeth. "I can't take this anymore!" he yelled. "You've got to be kidding. As far as you're concerned, Hollows are responsible for everything. There was never anything funny about it, but when you give that as a reason for it, there isn't anything that's less funny!"

Rukia gaped in shock while Mitsuki frowned in concern. Ichigo started to walk toward the soul reaper.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you're way off base. It wasn't a Hollow or anything. The one who killed our mom... was me." he said before running off.

"Ichigo!" Mitsuki yelled after him, pain clear in her voice. "I'm sorry Rukia, but our mother is a touchy subject, especially for Ichigo." she told the reaper softly before taking off after her brother.

She sniffed the air, quickly finding her brother's scent and followed it's trail. She found him a minute later, in front of stone stairs, on his hands in knees. Mitsuki didn't have to guess to know that he was remembering that day and blaming himself. She walked up to him and lowered herself on to the ground, placing a hand on his shoulder, though she didn't say anything. What could she? That it wasn't his fault? That everything is fine? He wouldn't listen. She knew that from all the previous times she tried to reason with him. The two sat in silence, Mitsuki's head now on the orangette's shoulder. The silence didn't last though, as Kon came screaming, landing on Ichigo. Mitsuki fought not to laugh a his annoyed twitch and scowl.

"Here we go." Ichigo muttered as he stood, grabbing the plushy and bringing it in front of his face. "You!" he yelled, vain throbbing in annoyance.

"Ichigo!"Kon cried, tears at the corner of his eyes.

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow and stood as well. "What's wrong kon?"

Ichigo frowned at the plushy with furrowed eyebrows.

"Rukia's in trouble! It's an emergency!"

Mitsuki didn't think, just ran. Ichigo took after her, both sprinting to where they left Rukia. When they got there, they saw a soul reaper by the looks of him. Mitsuki wanted to hit Kon, but fought the urge.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Hey! Who are you?!" he asked the guy, who looked surprised for a moment.

"Yo, spikey. You can see me?"

Mitsuki scoffed. "Kon, who is this guy?" she asked the plushy, annoyed.

"How should I know?"

Ichigo picked him up and pulled his fist back. "What?! You're the one who said it was an emergency!"

"Hey, Spikey... What about you? Who are you?" the guy smirked at him.

"I'm..."

"Ichigo, don't!"

Noticing the sliver of panic in the other girl's eyes, Mitsuki lunged forward to cover her brother's mouth, but was too late.

"I'm a Substitute Soul Reaper!"

Mitsuki facepalmed.

The guy stared at him, eyebrow raised and a grin on his face. "Soul Reaper? No way... What a stupid joke. That's too funny." The guy tilted his hat over his face. "Really, Kuchiki Rukia... This is a serious crime."

Mitsuki froze_. Crime? It's crime to turn someone into a Soul Reaper?_, she thought to herself.

"A serious crime?" repeated Ichigo to himself, coming to the same conclusion as Mitsuki. "What's he talking about?!" he turned to Rukia, wanting his suspicions confirmed.

"Oh, well. It's no fun fighting a dumb Gigai, but anyway... Lets do this, Spikey!" the guy threw his hat in the air and running at Ichigo with his sword in hand.

"W-what?" Ichigo backed up with wide eyes.

When the Soul Reaper lunged forward, Mitsuki did a round house kick to the guys side, sending him flying into a tree, before he could get to her brother. The guy gawked at her as she watched him boredly.

"Attack my brother again and I wont hesitate to beat you into next week, Soul Reaper." she stated, a dangerous glint in her eyes. No one attacked her brother in front of her and got away with it.

Before the guy could respond, Ichigo became a Soul Reaper and grabbed his sword, readying it.

"Interesting." the guy said, standing. "You transformed, and you're human. How did you get that ability?"

"As if I'd tell you after attacking me out of the blue!" Ichigo scoffed at him.

"Ichigo! Back away! This is my..."

Ichigo pushed her away. "You don't have your sword. What can you do? Out of the way, Kon!"

Mitsuki wrapped an arm around Rukia's waist and bumped the inky haired woman's hip with her own. "Just let him do this. Besides, he's a stubborn little shit and nothing we do could stop him."

Rukia flushed, but found herself leaning into the blue haired teen a bit. "I know." she sighed.

Mitsuki grinned at her and lifted her head to watch the fight, but she didn't release the shinigami. The two had only been fighting for around a minute before Rukia's Hollow Detector or whatever it was beeped.

Mitsuki glanced at her. "What id it?"

"It's a Hollow!"

"A Hollow?!" Ichigo exclaimed an ran over to them, not even blinking when he noticed his sister had Rukia practically wrapped up in her arms. "Where is it?!"

"Close... and.. Look at this! It's spiritual energy...It's quite a big one!"

"Hmm... Seems pretty strong." the Soul Reaper guy said, from behind Rukia.

Ichigo jerked back. "Aargh! What? You want to fight again?!"

"Ichigo, nows not the time." Rukia and Mitsuki said. "Your family might be in danger again!" Rukia continued. "Lets go!"

Both Mitsuki and Ichigo's eyes widened as that realization hit them and they all ran off. Mitsuki used her heightened speed to get there first, cursing when she saw both of the twins in the Hollow's grasp. Snarling, she flicked her wrist towards the Hollow and moved her arm upwards. Ice formed on the ground surrounding her and shot at the Hollow, spikes piecing it through the arms and legs. It roared in agony and rage, snarling at her. Motioning with her hands again, ice covered the claw-like hand that held Karin and Mitsuki sprinting forward, punching it with her full strength, shattering it to pieces. They Hollow roared again and tried to swing at her, but she had already lifted Karin into her arms and sprinted a bit away. She set Karin down, kissing her forehead, turning just in time to see Ichigo catch Yuzu. Glancing at Rukia and the other Soul Reaper, she saw shock on both their faces as they looked between her and the ice.

"Mitsuki, what...?" Rukia started, confused. _How did she do that? And before, it was like she shunpo-ed._

"What's... going on..."

Mitsuki turned and stared. A girl had appeared in front of the Hollow, one that Ichigo seemed to recognize. The bluenette frowned, standing and moving so she was beside her brother.

"You bastard... You're the one who was on the bank that day, aren't you? Six years ago!"

Mitsuki's eyes widened in shock. Ichigo had told her he had seen a little girl on the bank and went to save her, but had somehow been knocked unconscious, and when he awoke the girl was gone and their mother was dead.

"Six years ago?" repeated Rukia. "Ichigo, you don't mean..."

"Yeah. That day, I tried to save this kid. But... when I woke, she'd disappeared... and my mom was... she was..."

"Six years ago?" the Hollow said "I don't remember anything that long ago. I see, this is interesting." the Hollow laughed.

Mitsuki turned away and grabbed Yuzu, moving her so she was next Karin. "Are you two okay?" she asked with concern, barely listening to Rukia as she told Ichigo about Grand Fisher. Ichigo would take care of it.

They nodded, though Yuzu seemed to be fighting to stay conscious.

"It's okay, Yu. Sleep." Mitsuki murmured, running her fingers through the blonde's hair.

Yuzu immediately drifted off.

"What's going on, nee-chan?" Karin whispered.

"Don't worry about it. Ichigo will take care of everything."

Karin was silent for a moment before she looked up into Mitsuki's eyes. "How did you conjure that ice?"

Mitsuki sighed. She knew this day would come, when she would have to tell the twins what she was. "I'll explain when we get home, okay? I promise."

"You're a lucky kid to have survived after seeing me. At first, I may have been trying to eat you because of your great spirit power. But women just look so tasty." the Hollow laughed, making Mitsuki look up.

"Bastard." Mitsuki and Ichigo growled.

"There ain't many Hollows that piss me off as much as this one." the Soul Reaper guy said.

"Aarrrahhh!" Ichigo ran at the Hollow, jumping in the air with his sword poised for attack.

The hollow jumped away before the sword could touch him. Rukia ran forward.

"Don't be careless, you fool!" she yelled at him.

"Ichigo, toss me your sword!" Mitsuki yelled to her brother, joining the fight.

Ichigo hesitated for a moment before he threw his sword over to his sister, who caught it mid air and smirked at the Hollow. Gripping the hilt, ice formed around her hand and moved down the blade. The ai around her grew colder as she ran forward, jumping at the Hollow. She noticed the moment it prepared to dodge and created a whirlwind of snow and ice around it's legs, ice coating them and freezing them to the ground. She stabbed the sword down, aiming for the head, but the Hollow moved it's upper torso last minute and she ended up stabbing it's shoulder. Snarling in frustration, she yanked the sword upward, nearly cutting it's arm off. It howled with pain and knocked her away, making her almost crash into Ichigo, who was staring at her with awe and a hint of pride.

"I'll be back to devour you all!" Grand Fisher yelled before running off. "I wont forgive you!"

"Coward!" Mitsuki and Ichigo spat. "Get back here! I'll kill you!" Ichigo yelled, but Mitsuki held him back, forcefully pulling him into a hug.

"What was that?!" Rukia yelled, running up to them.

"What was what?" Mitsuki asked calmly, releasing Ichigo and handing him his sword.

"How did you do that?! The whole ice thing?!" Rukia hissed.

Mitsuki turned to her. "I have secrets, Rukia, secrets that I want to stay just that. _Secrets_."

"I'll find out eventually."

"Possibly. But right now, what I did will stay unknown. Anyway, I'm going to get the girl's home."

Rukia scowled in irritation.

Mitsuki chuckled. "I might tell you later, Rukia." she said as she walked up to the twins, picking Yuzu up into her arms. Karin stood and stayed close beside her and the trio headed down the hill. Mitsuki could feel Rukia's glaring into her back until they were out of sight.

*Kurosaki home some time later*

Mitsuki tucked Yuzu and Karin into bed before she sat down on the edge of Karin's. Both girl's were watching her silently, waiting for an explanation. The bluenette sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Do you remember how I came to be your sister?" she asked.

"Kaa-san found you in an abandoned ally and adopted you when you were five." Karin answered.

"My mother, biologically that is, placed me there in hope that someone would find me and raise me. She knew that she couldn't keep me, that I had to be hidded less someone discover me and try to use my power. You see, my mother was a wolf demon, a very powerful one." Mitsuki explained.

Karin and Yuzu's eyes widened. "You're a demon?"

"Half demon."

There was a moment of silence.

"We don't love you any less. You're still our nee-chan." Yuzu suddenly said.

Tears formed in Mitsuki's eyes and she kissed the eleven year old's forehead. "Never change, Yuzu. I love you, both of you."

"We love you too, Mits-chan." Karin said.

Mitsuki smiled at them and bid them goodnight before going to her room. She wasn't surprised to find Rukia sitting on her bed, arms crossed over her chest. The half demon sat beside her.

"I'm half wolf demon, half shinigami." she stated suddenly, making the raven haired woman jump.

Rukia's eyes widened. "W-what? Ha-half demon and shin-shinigami? But-"

"I was kept a secret by my mother. My father was killed by a hollow not long after my birth and my mother didn't want others to know the truth behind my blood, in fear that they would try to use me. Someone did find out though and tried to kill her so they could take me. She destroyed him, but not without getting seriously injured. She was dyeing and there was nothing she could do to save her own life. So she took me to an abandoned ally in Karakura, hoping that someone would find me and raise me. She told me not to tell anyone what I was, not unless I could trust them completely, before dyeing in my arms. Kaa-chan found me and took me in." Mitsuki said, her eyes staring blankly at the wall in front of her. "I was five."

Rukia stared at her with sadness. "I'm so sorry... Does Ichigo know?"

"He was the first person I told. Then the twins minutes ago and now you." Mitsuki took in a deep breath and turned to her. "Please don't tell anyone, Rukia."

"I won't."

Mitsuki nodded and laid down, yawning. "M'tired. You?"

"Yes. Push over."

Mitsuki did so and Rukia crawled under the blankets, Mitsuki doing the same. Flicking off the light, Mitsuki yawned again.

"G'night, Ruk."

"Goodnight, Suki."

Both females drifted off seconds later.

**I'm so sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I hope it was okay! Anyway, I still don't know who Mitsuki and Ichigo are going to end up with, but here are the possibilities:**

**Ichigo:**

Aizen Sousuke

Ulquiorra

Stark Coyote

Ichimaru Gin

**Mitsuki:**

Rangiku (tho it could just be a small fling between them)

Yoruichi

Rukia (Not sure yet, as I like Rukia with Renji)

Nel

Hitsugiya Toushiro (Maybe)

**I might add more later, depends I guess. I also might do a threesome, not sure yet. If you have any suggestions, please tell me:) Review, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

Mitsuki sighed and fought the urge to tap her foot in annoyance as she stood between Orihime and Rukia in the principle's office, listening as Kagine-Sensei ranted on and on about Ichigo appearing on tv the other day. She'd much rather be in class drawing in her sketch book.

"Kagine-Sensei," Tatsuki suddenly spoke up, "I understand why Kurosaki-san, Kurosaki-kun, and Kuchiki-san were called, since they were on tv, but I don't think that there's any reason Inoue-san and I should be here."

"You two were with them!" Kagine-Sensei exclaimed.

"That was just a coincidence. We just met them there by chance and weren't involved." the raven haired teen stated.

Ichigo shot her an irritated look. "Damn you, just trying to save yourselves..." he muttered.

Tatsuki stuck her tongue out at him in response, making Mitsuki chuckle quietly, before turning her attention back to the teacher. "That's the situation, so we'll be going back to class now. Let's go, Orihime."

"Then I will... too." Keigo said, trying to slip away.

"Not you!" Kagine-Sensei declared, grabbing the brunette by the back of his shirt. "You're just as guilty for being there and not stopping Kurosaki!"

"What's the big deal? Just 'cuz he was on tv?" Keigo asked the teacher, almost pouting.

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!? Don't you realize that your lack of self-awareness in the reason you're being pointed out!? Unbelievible!"

Sharing a mischievous look with Rukia, Mitsuki and the petite woman started to cry, apologetic looks on their faces.

"We are so sorry." they said in small voices, gaining everyone's attention.

"This is all _my_ fault." Rukia said, dabbing at her eyes with a white handkerchief.

Mitsuki shook her head. "No, no, Ru, I am to blame." she sniffled, pulling out her own purple handkerchief.

"Both of us, then." Rukia whispered. "We were unable to stop Kurosaki-kun, who got so excited he tried to get on TV." she cried.

Mitsuki wrapped her arms around the petite ravenette, more tears falling from her eyes as she hugged the other tightly, a distraught air about them. "We are to blame, Kagine-Sensei."

Rukia nodded. "We truly... desperately... but..."

"Don't cry, Kuchiki, Kurosaki." Kagine-Sensei said, unsure of what to do to help the two 'upset' females. "I understand. It wasn't your fault, okay?"

Mitsuki saw her brother, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro tip-toeing to the open window and held back a smirk.

"I don't care what happens to Kurosaki-kun, just please spare Kurosaki-san and I."

When Kagine-Sensei spotted the four teens escaping via the window, Rukia and Mitsuki made a quick exit from the room the moment his back was turned. In the hallway, the bluenette fought to keep in her laughter.

"That was brilliant! Excellent acting by the way, Ru." she giggled into her hand.

Rukia smirked at her. "You did good as well."

Mitsuki smiled at her and grabbed her hand, dragging her down the hall. "Lets go catch the boys before they do something stupid."

/

"All's well that ends well. It's all thanks to you and Kuchiki-san, Mitsuki." Keigo said with a grin.

"Oh dear, you flatter me." Rukia smiled while Mitsuki rolled her eyes.

"You idiot, don't praise her." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his friend. "She tried to sell me out."

Mitsuki snickered, which turned into a laugh when her brother scowled at her in annoyance.

"But thanks to her and Mitsuki's acting, you were able to escape, too." Tatsuki reminded him.

"She is right." Rukia smirked. "That was a-c-t-i-n-g. How could I possibly do something like sell out my friend, Kurosaki-kun?"

Mitsuki snorted quietly in amusement.

"You bitch..." Ichigo scowled at the soul reaper.

A familiar beeping noise caught Rukia, Ichigo, and Mitsuki's attention.

"Now that you mention it, I have to speak with you, Kurosaki-kun. And you as well, Mitsuki." Rukia said. "Everyone, please excuse us." she gave a close eyed smile and a curtsey to the others before she, Mitsuki, and Ichigo ran off.

/

Frowning, Mitsuki studied the trembling soul before looking around the dark alley. She didn't see a hollow. Had the order been wrong or something? Or had someone else got to it first?

"I don't see a hollow. What the hell's going on?" Ichigo asked, scowling. "That phone of yours is probably broken."

"This is strange." Rukia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the phone. "I'm sure there was an order saying a Hollow had appeared..."

"Hey! You, soul, there!" the orangette yelled, getting the soul's attention. "Don't tell me _you_ got rid of the Hollow?"

Mitsuki rolled her eyes. "Ichi, the dude is terrified. He couldn't hurt a fly. If anything, someone else got to it first. Most likely another Soul Reaper."

Ichigo ignored her.

"By 'Hollow', you mean that scary bug-type thing? I-I-I was s-scared and f-frightened... I thought it was gonna rub me out!" the soul cried, throwing himself at Ichigo, who promptly stopped it with a foot to his face.

"Get away from me! I _asked_ you what happened!"

Rukia walked up to them. "Hold on, Ichigo." She grabbed the soul by the collar of his shirt. "Did someone defeat the Hollow and save you? If so, what did he look like?" she demanded.

"I-I was scared so I had my eyes closed, so I don't-" he said moving his face closer to her's, until she did the same thing Ichigo did seconds before.

Mitsuki snorted. _Those two are so alike...,_ drifted through her mind.

"Alright. Soul Burial time." Ichigo stated. "Here goes."

"Aaaahh! What is that? 'Soul Burial'? What are you gonna do with that sword?!" the soul started to freak out until Ichigo sent the soul to Soul Society.

Feeling eyes on her, Mitsuki looked around. Spotting no one, she glanced up, frowning when she saw the figure standing on the roof of a building. Tilting her head to the side, she tried to get a good look at the person, but they were blanketed by shadows. She yelped in surprise when her brother suddenly grabbed her by the waist and started to scale buildings, until they reached his body. The trio walked home in silence, a frown still on Mitsuki's face. Rukia glanced at her with worry.

"Suki?" she called to the other female.

Mitsuki blinked and looked at her. "Hmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just... I think I saw the person who defeated the hollow. I don't know who they were though." the bluenette muttered.

Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed. "Where were they?"

"On the roof, watching us."

The answer made Ichigo uneasy and Rukia frown.

"Do you know if it was a Soul Reaper?" Rukia asked her.

"It wasn't. The person was wearing white or some light color and didn't have a sword. That much I know."

/

Mitsuki stood beside her brother as the other students checked their scores. She jerked in surprise when Keigo suddenly appeared, screeching with tears in his eyes.

"It's a lie! Why are you so high?!" he asked Ichigo before turning to Mitsuki. "And your even higher than him!"

Ichigo frowned. "Man, shut up. I've got nothin' to do since I go home so early, so I study. And Mitsuki helps me with the few things I don't get."

Keigo straightened and pointed at him. "There's no way you have nothing do! I invite you to hang out all the time! I see... So that's what was behind you refusing all my invitations! Deviant! Nerd!" he cried dramatically. "As a parting gift, we'd like to give you these lovely soda-bottle-gla-"

Ichigo punched him in the face. "Don't want 'em."

Mitsuki rolled her eyes. "The dramatics of that boy," she muttered to her brother.

Ichigo snorted. "I don't get how he can be so damn hyper all the time." he said, moving to study the scores.

"I guess you and Mitsuki really study, huh?" Mizuiro commented.

"Well, yeah. With this orange hair, all kinds of things are tougher for me. It's harder for Mitsuki, though. Her hair is blue."

Mizuiro glanced at the female. "How _is_ you're hair naturally blue, anyway?"

Mitsuki shrugged. "All I know is that I get it from my mother's side."

"Oh... You've got stuff to deal with, huh? I... would like to give you this lovely, dorky headband as part-"

Ichigo cut the headband with a pair of scissors, interrupting Keigo yet again. "I said I don't want it."

"Fine! I understand! I'll never invite you to hang out ever again! Hey, Chad. Lets you and me go hang out. _We're_ not in the top 50, unlike _some_ people." Keigo elbowed Chad repeatedly.

Chad merely pointed at the score paper, showing that he was ranked eleventh. Both Keigo and Mizuiro cried out and began to run around.

"I never thought you three could be such devils!" Keigo exclaimed. "Never in a million years! We'll never hang out with you again!" He and Mizuiro ran off crying.

Mitsuki rolled her eyes and hugged Chad. "Congrats, big guy! You scored higher than I did!" she smiled at him. She had ranked fifteenth.

Chad returned her smile and ruffled her hair, making her pout.

"Ishida... Ametatsu? Never heard of _that_ name." she heard her brother comment.

"It's Uryuu." she and Orihime spoke at the same time, making the shorter female flush a bit.

"Ishida Uryuu-kun." Orihime added.

"You know 'em?" Ichigo asked her.

"He's in _our_ _class_."

Mitsuki snickered as her brother sweat dropped, a stunned look on his face.

"Leave it, Orihime." Tatsuki said. "He can't remember a name or face to save his life. Let's go."

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest. "Why such a person?" he murmured to himself.

Mitsuki rolled her eyes.

/

"After all that, there's no Hollow, _again_." Ichigo scowled as Rukia and Mitsuki dragged his body into view.

"Shut up." Rukia faced Ichigo, hand on her hip. "Just get back in your body."

"Seriously, do something about that worthless phone."

"I still think someone's beating us to the Hollows." Mitsuki piped up from where she was leaning against a house, but was ignored, making her huff.

"Are you saying it's my fault?! I just tell you exactly what appears on the command receiver."

"So, I'm telling you to hurry up and get it fixed."

"Believe me, I would love to."

"Dissension in the ranks?"

Mitsuki jumped at the voice and whirled around, her jaw dropping. "Uryuu-kun?" she murmured to herself, blinking in shock. _What's he doing here? Is... Is he the one defeating the Hollows? There's always been something different about him._

"What a disgrace."

Mitsuki gaped. Uryuu was a quiet and reserved person and was usually polite, if a tad cold and disinterested. He was one of the few she talked to outside her and Ichigo's group of friends. She had never heard him use such a ... rude tone before.

"Good evening, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san. Mitsuki."

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded, glaring. "How do you know our na-"

"Kurosaki-kun. You can see ghosts, can't you?"

Both Rukia and Ichigo stiffened, eyes wide, while Mitsuki's frown deepened.

"What're you talking abo-"

Mitsuki suddenly felt something shift in the air and Uryuu's head snapped to the side.

"A new Hollow's appeared." they said at the same time. Mitsuki was the only one to see the slight twitch of Uryuu's lips, as if he were fighting a smile.

Rukia gasped. "_What_?" Her phone started beeping. "One really _has_ appeared." she said, reading the order. "We've got orders."

"Which way?" Ichigo demanded.

Mitsuki tilted her head to the side, distantly hearing a roar, and pointed. "That way."

Uryuu glanced at her, having done and said the same thing. "If you don't even know that much, how can you call yourself a Death god?" he asked, addressing Ichigo.

The demon/shinigami spotted the bracelet around his left wrist and tilted her head to the side, recognizing it somehow. She gaped when it suddenly turned into a brightly glowing, large bow with an arrow at the ready, which Uryuu fired. Mitsuki was admittedly impressed when it hit the Hollow dead on.

"The signal disappeared..." Rukia whispered.

"What the hell are you?" Ichigo demanded.

Mitsuki wanted to know too.

"Ishida Uryuu, Quincy. And I hate Death gods." he glared at Ichigo

Mitsuki felt a pang in her chest. '_Which means he hates the three of us.'_

"What the hell?"

"Don't you understand? This is what I mean... Kurosaki Ichigo, I hate _you_."

/

Mitsuki sat in her Handicraft club, absent mindedly painting delicate vines and leafs on a small vase for Yuzu as she glanced at Uryuu, who sat a few desks away from her. There was a gloomy air about her as she sullenly continued painting.

"Mitsuki-san, are you alright?" a fellow student of hers suddenly asked, appearing beside her desk.

Mitsuki saw Uryuu turn his head slightly and immediately knew he was listening in. "I'm fine, Amaya-san."

"Are you sure?" the girl didn't look convinced.

Mitsuki gave her a fake, though believable, smile. "Yes, though I thank you for your concern."

Amaya nodded and caught sight of the vase. "Oh. That's very pretty!"

"It's for my sister." A fond smile formed on the hybrid's face.

"Will you be working on any projects after this?"

"Hm. Maybe a bowl set or a bracelet?"

Amaya nodded.

Mitsuki glanced around and furrowed her eyebrows when she saw her brother at the door with Orihime, watching as Uryuu fixed a pink stuffed animal for Michiru-san. "Um, excuse me, Amaya-san, but I have to go."

Amaya smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mitsuki-san."

Mitsuki returned the smile, a genuine one this time, before she dashed out of the room (remembering the vase), grabbing her brother by the shirt as she did so. "Hello, Orihime! I hope you don't mind if I borrow my brother, do you?"

The teen shook her head. "Not at all, Mitsuki-chan!"

Mitsuki beamed and kissed the girl's cheek. "Thanks!" she said, before dragging her brother away.

"Suki! What the he-"

"Why were you watching Uryuu?"

Ichigo blinked. "You know that guy?"

"We're -_were_\- friends."

An orange eyebrow arched in disbelief. "Wait. Were?"

"He hates soul reapers." Mitsuki reminded him.

Realization formed in his eyes. "And you're half soul reaper. Shit. Suki,"

Mitsuki shook her head. "Don't, Ichi."

Ichigo wrapped her in his arms. "How did you two even become friends?" he asked after a moment.

"In the handicrafts club. I was impressed with his sewing and fashion skills and he was impressed with my drawing and painting skills. We've actually created a few clothing pieces together. And he tutored me sometimes. You know I suck at history. He's the only one I really talk to besides you, the guys, Orihime and Tatsuki."

Ichigo nodded. "Sounds like you were close."

"He was my best friend besides Chad."

Ichigo tightened his hold on her, inwardly scowling. That Ishida hurt his sister. He'd kick his ass for that. No one hurts his family and gets away with it.

/

"Why are we stalking him again?" Mitsuki whispered to her brother as they followed Ishida Uryuu, who was on his way home.

"We're not stalking him." Ichigo frowned at her.

Mitsuki scoffed. "This could be classified as stalking, Ichi."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to the black haired teen, frowning when he suddenly stopped and turned a bit.

"Are you going to follow me all the way home, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Uryuu spoke.

Mitsuki snorted. "Of course he knew the entire time." she muttered.

Ichigo ignored her comment, instead focusing on the teen before them. "So you knew. When did you notice?"

"I knew since you were spying on me from the classroom door with Inoue-san." Uryuu stated.

"Oh? Pretty impressive. You got skills."

"It's because you always let your spirit powers leak out like an idiot. Even a monkey would notice. At least Mitsuki had the sense to rein in her power."

Ichigo scowled, glaring. "What did you say?"

Mitsuki coughed. "... He has a point, Ichi." she looked away from him.

Ichigo glared at her. "Don't take his side!"

She punched his arm, returning the glare. "I wasn't, idiot! I was just agreeing with a fact! Your powers do leak out. I've told you that before."

"Apparently, you lack the ability to sense other people with high spirit powers." Uryuu spoke up over them. "As proof, you've never noticed my existence until today."

"Well, _excuse_ me." Ichigo huffed. "I'm not good at remembering people's faces and stuff."

Uryuu turned to them fully. "That's not what I mean. _I_ noticed... the day you transferred to our school... the inordinate height of your spirit power. Mitsuki was a bit harder to sense, due to her tight control of her power, though occasionally it would leak out. And the fact that you acquired Death god powers around mid-May. As well as... Kuchiki Rukia's true identity." he explained.

Glowing white ribbons suddenly appeared around Uryuu, swaying in an invisible wind.

"Spirit threads?!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Yes, spirit threads. Spirit energy in the atmosphere condensed and visualized. And..." He lunged forward, grabbing something in the air.

A red spirit thread revealed itself.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "This is..."

"It's your spirit thread." Uryuu told him before he tugged and ripped it. "Don't you know? Death gods' spirit thread have a different color." He released the thread, which faded. Turning to Mitsuki, he gently grabbing two spirit threads, one red and one dark grey, though the red was lighter that Ichigo's. "Mitsuki is different, though. I've never seen or heard of a grey spirit thread, before her. And the lightness of her Death god thread means that while she has the powers of one, they've yet to be activated."

Mitsuki blinked. "... You've always known I was part Shinigami."

Uryuu nodded. "I did, and I tried to hate you, only to find it was impossible. You were different."

"So, does this mean I haven't lost my best friend?" she asked, voice a bit meek, which was unusual for her.

"Of course not."

Mitsuki promptly threw herself into the Quincy's arms, hugging him tightly. "Oh, thank Kami."

Uryuu hugged her back after a moment's hesitation, his arms going around her waist. After a few seconds, he released her, turning to her brother. "Why don't we have a match Kurosaki Ichigo? I'll make you understand which of us is superior... and that Death gods are unnecessary in this world."

"A match? You and me?"

"That's right."

Mitsuki looked between the two, watching as they stared each other down, as a foreboding feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

"Hmph! Freakin' ridiculous."

"What was that?"

"Why should I have to do that? It's stupid. I dunno _what_ you have against Death gods... but its got nothing to do with me."

"You're running away then, eh?"

"You can't provoke me. I'm just saying, between you and me, there'd be no competition." Ichigo turned and began to walk away.

"Oh, that's right, I remember now. You're a Death god who got his strength from Kuchiki-san. In other words, a temporary Death god. Without her permission, you can't even lift one finger."

"What did you say...?" Ichigo smirked at him. "Fine. I'll give you a fight, if that's what you want."

Mitsuki groaned quietly when she saw him pull out Kon.

"Dammit, Ichigo!" the stuffed plushie yelled. "Even if this was by nee-can's orders, what the hell d'you mean by stuffing me in your bag, huh?!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed on the animal. "We're switching."

"Wait a minute! Again!?"

Ichigo reached his hand into it's mouth and pulled out the mod soul, wiping it on his shirt before swallowing it. He smirked at Uryuu again. "Kon, Mitsuki, watch the fight. Watch me pound this guy, _concave_!"

Kon's head shot up at Mitsuki's name and he beamed when he saw the bluenette, launching himself at her. "Nee-chan!" he yelled, arms going around her waist as he snuggled into her chest.

Mitsuki's eye twitched, even more so when she felt a hand on her ass. She kicked Kon away from her. "I'd rather not be groped by my _brother's_ body." she ground out.

"Even kicks from you give me pleasure!" Kon cried, moving to grope her again.

Ichigo glared at the mod soul and grabbed him by the color of the shirt. "What have I told you about touching my sister?!"

Kon eeped and laughed nervously. "Um, not to?"

"Exactly. So, hands. Off."

Uryuu narrowed his eyes at Kon suspiciously as he moved closer to Mitsuki, standing beside her after grabbing Ichigo's bag.

"Okay now, go ahead and explain. The rules of this _match_, that is." Ichigo told Uryuu. "Come on!"

Mitsuki arched an eyebrow when her best friend pulled out an small, round object out of his breast pocket.

"Let's use this."

"What's that?" Ichigo asked the Quincy.

"It's anti-Hollow Bait. If you break it and scatter it around, Hollows will gather." Uryuu explained.

Mitsuki froze, her eyes widening, and she grabbed Kon's hand, making him jump and look at her with surprise. Seeing the worry and fear in her eyes, he drew her into a, for the first time, non-perverted hug.

"What?!" Ichigo exploded.

"The one who beats the most hollows in 24 hours is the winner. How about it? Simple rules, right?"

"Screw you! You want to put the townspeople in danger just for our match?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Shut up, you pompous bastard. You don't have to worry about the other people. I'll destroy every last Hollow that shows up. If you have confidence that you can protect the people from the Hollows, then you should be able to accept this challenge." Uryuu said -then broke the Hollow Bait.

Almost immediately, a black hole appeared in the sky, followed by a Hollow, which roared loudly. Uryuu shot an arrow into it's open mouth.

"One down." he stated.

Mitsuki's grip on Kon's hand tightened.

Ichigo tackled Uryuu, a fierce glare on his face.

"You should see your face, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Undo it! Send the Hollows back!"

"Soon this town will be buried in Hollows lured by the bait. _The die has been cast,_ as it were. Isn't there something else you should be doing instead of attaching me?"

Ichigo reluctantly released him, not at all happy.

"If you want to protect as many people as possible from the Hollows, that is."

The two climbed to their feet, Uryuu walking passed Ichigo.

"You bastard..." the orangette hissed.

"Have you forgotten? Hollows have a tendency to prefer attacking humans with high spiritual power."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Yuzu! Karin! Dammit!" he whirled on Kon. "Protect Mitsuki!" he yelled to him before dashing off.

Mitsuki tugged Kon in the opposite direction. "We need to find Chad!" Ever sense the parakeet incident, she felt the spike of spiritual power grow in Chad.

They ran down streets, Mitsuki letting her spirit powers leak out as she tried to find Chad. She let out a small shriek when four Hollows decended on her and Kon.

"... We are so very much fucked." she whispered.

Kon shook his head. "I'll take the two on the left." he told her.

She nodded and conjured ice, shooting off large, sharp icicles at the Hollows. One got a Hollow right in the eye, killing it. Focusing on the others, she made a snow whirlwind around them, halting Kon. The three hollows roared in rage and tried to escape, but she only made it bigger and more aggressive, large spikes of ice shooting up from the ground beneath the Hollows and impaling them, until the creatures were mostly frozen and immobile. Kon frowned with worry when he saw blood trickle down her nose.

"Kon, punch them as hard as you can in the head." she said, her voice slightly shaky.

The mod soul rushed to do so, sprinting to her side the second the last Hollow was defeated. "Are you alright?"

"I've... never used that... much power ... before." she gasped out, wiping away the blood with her hand.

"I'll deal with the next Hollow we come across. Ichigo will kill me if you're pushed past your limits."

She let out a laugh -before falling unconscious.

Kon cursed and caught her, lifting her into his arms. "What the hell do I do now?"

/

When Mitsuki awoke, the first thing she saw were Chad's worried eyes. "Chad?" she whispered.

He visibly sagged with relief. "Mitsuki."

"... How did I get here?"

"I don't know. I woke up a few feet away from you. Orihime-san is here too."

Sitting up with the help of her friend, she blinked in confusion at her surroundings. "This place looks familiar somehow."

Chad was about to respond, but Orihime chose that moment to awaken.

"Huh? Sado-kun? Mitsuki-san?"

"Oh, you're awake. Morning." Chad turned to the teen, who was looking at them with confusion.

"M-morning. Uh, where are we?" Orihime asked them.

"Beats me." Chad answered.

"So you're finally awake." Mitsuki heard a familiar voice say. She turned her head to see Urahara.

"Who is he?" Orihime wondered.

"I don't know. But somehow, it seems we were saved by him." Chad stated.

"That _is_ correct. Well now, wherever should I begin..." Urahara started.

Mitsuki climbed to her feet, swaying, and took a step forward. Only to fall. Urahara dashed forward, barely catching her in time. She laughed and held on to him as he helped her to her feet, making sure she was steady before releasing her.

"Thanks, Urahara." she smiled at him.

He nodded to her before turning his attention to the other two. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering about what's going on and why you were attacked..."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

Mitsuki was worried. Ever since Ichigo's fight with the Menos Grande, Rukia had been acting strangely and became a bit withdrawn. The hybrid had a few theories about the sudden change of behavior, but she kept them to herself. She was glad, however, that Ichigo and Uryuu were now somewhat civil to each other. The memory of Keigo's reaction to Ichigo asking the Quincy to have lunch with them flashed through her mind and she let out a few snickers, earning a weird look from her brother.

"... You okay, there, Mitsuki?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Just worried about Ru." she told him.

Ichigo nodded, picking up the try of food he prepared for the three of them. "So you've noticed it too?" he asked her as they walked up the stairs.

"Yeah." She said as she opened his bedroom door.

"Hey Rukia!" Ichigo began as he started to enter the room. "It's dinnertime... huh?"

Mitsuki frowned and entered behind him, looking around the room. "Did she go somewhere?"

"Dunno. Maybe she's in your room?"

"Let's go check. I really want to study for this history test." she dragged him out of the room and straight into her own, only for her frown to deepen when she saw no sign of Rukia. "Where the hell did she go?"

"Don't ask me. I'm just as clueless as you."

The bluenette sighed. "Let's stay in here and wait for her. We'll study to pass the time."

Ichigo groaned, but didn't argue, instead moving to sit on her bed.

/

"It's two o'clock in the morning and she still hasn't come back!" Mitsuki ranted, shoving her textbook off her lap and crossing her arms over her chest, her left eye twitching in irritation.

"... Maybe she's not coming back." Ichigo told her, shoulders tense and eyes not look up from his book.

Mitsuki glared darkly at him. "Without saying goodbye?!"

Ichigo looked away from her. Despite her angry expression, he could see the pain in her eyes at the possibility that Rukia _had_ left without saying goodbye. He stood and started for the door, but was halted by his sister grabbing his wrist.

"Where're you goin'?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh. Right." she released him, moving to pick her textbook off the floor as he left.

A few minutes later, her brother returned -with a smelly Kon. Mitsuki made a gagging noise.

"What is that _smell_?" she said with disgust, covering her mouth and nose with her hands.

"Kon." Ichigo answered as he opened her window. "I found him taped to the toilet."

Her nose scrunched up in disgust. "Ew."

"Oh boy... thanks for saving me!" Kon exclaimed as Ichigo sat beside his sister.

"Don't mention it." Ichigo said, plugging his own nose.

"In that position I couldn't see who came in... so I had to listen to figure out if it was you." Kon went on.

Mitsuki blinked, tears gathering in her eyes at the stench, and grabbed a can of air freshener, spraying nearly the entire thing at the animal plushie. Ichigo gave her a thankful look.

"W-what're you doing?!" Kon asked angrily, glaring at her. "Is this what you do to friends who had to endure such suffering for so long?!"

"Sorry, Kon, but you _reek_." Mitsuki told him, not looking at all sorry.

"That's not my fault... nee-chan... Oh that's right! Ichigo! Nee-chan's in trouble!" Kon ran at Ichigo, who tossed him away. Kon proceeded to bounce across the room.

"Look! Don't come near me!"

The plushie landed on Mitsuki's desk, almost immediately spotting a piece of paper with Rukia's handwriting on it. "Huh?! Look at this! Don't tell me you didn't notice this all this time?!"

Ichigo and Mitsuki gave him sheepish looks.

"We were studying." Mitsuki said in their defense.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, standing.

"Isn't it obvious?! It's a farewell letter." the plushie crossed it's arms over it's chest.

"Farewell letter?" Mitsuki straightened. "So, she really did leave?"

"And why were you in the toilet?"

"After that that incident, I went back to say goodbye to nee-chan before leaving on my journey. Mind you, I didn't go back with my tail between my legs. But it was the honorable thing to do. So I went for a quick stop. Nee-chan left us all and went away." Kon explained to them.

"Why?! Without telling us?!" Ichigo yelled at the mod soul.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Kon yelled back. "How should I know?! I was there with her! And yet, she left without a word to me! Who cares about you?! Nee-chan!" Kon wailed.

Ichigo picked up the letter. "Damn that Rukia. What was she thinking anyway?!" he muttered as he opened it. "Huh?!"

Mitsuki blinked at the letter. "'Enjoy decoding'? Why the hell did she write a coded letter in the first place?!" she huffed.

Ichigo quickly discovered the code and crossed out all the unnecessary b's.

"'_For certain reasons I must leave. Do not look for me and do not worry. Burn this letter when you've read it. And... Keep yourselves hidden for a while.'_" Ichigo read aloud, a confused look on his face. "What's it all mean? She doesn't explain her reason for leaving."

Mitsuki suddenly paled. "Ichi, making a substitute Soul Reaper is a crime in Soul Society. What if they found out and to save us, she left by herself? Why else would she ask us to stay hidden?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, a deep scowl forming on his face. "Go change, Mitsuki. We're going after Rukia."

Mitsuki nodded and hastily grabbed her converse, a pair of black leggings, and a red tank top before sprinting to the bathroom. She changed in record time and was throwing her hair up into a ponytail when she entered her room. She came to a pause when she saw Urahara on her windowsill.

Urahara smirked at them. "Hello. Seems like you're in a bind. Is there something I can help with?"

/

Horror and pain were the first things Mitsuki felt when she saw the tattooed redhead raise his sword to finish of Uryuu. Then she felt anger at the Soul Reaper who dared hurt someone she cared for. While Ichigo dealt with the Death god, she ran to Uryuu's side, slipping her sweatshirt off and collapsing to her knees next to him.

"Uryuu? Holy shit." she gasped at all the blood and gently rolled him over, flinching at his groan of pain. She pressed her sweatshirt down on the wound, trying to stop the blood flow. "Please don't die, Ury." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Uryuu chuckled, only to gasp in pain. "I'm not going to die, Suki."

She smiled at him. "You better not. Who else am I going to design clothes with?"

Uryuu went to say something, but Mitsuki's attention turned to her brother when the redhead began to attack her brother. She flinched with the Death god managed to slice his shoulder.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled out, moving to run to him, but was halted by Uryuu grabbing her ankle.

"Don't go..." he gasped out, making Mitsuki bit her lip in concern.

"Rukia, watch Uryuu. I'll help Ichigo if it comes to that." Mitsuki told her friend.

Rukia nodded and knelt down beside her, her attention half on Ichigo.

"You'll die and Rukia will get her powers back." the redhead, Renji, suddenly said. "And, Rukia will die in Soul Society."

Mitsuki's blood went cold and she froze.

"But what an idiot you are!" the guy continued. "Rukia came here all alone... Just so that she wouldn't involve you. You should've just stayed put at home, but you came after her. Did you think you could do something? You, a Soul Reaper by accident? You can't hurt real Soul Reapers like us... not even a scratch."

Ichigo swung his sword, cutting Renji's chin. Mitsuki smirked at the utterly stunned disbelief expression on the redhead's face.

"Sorry about that. I know you were talking, but you were so wide open. I couldn't help myself. But why don't you continue? Not even a scratch, you said? Hmph. I'm sure even my sister could kick your ass." Ichigo smirked at him.

"Why you...!" he sneered, getting into an attack position.

"You were off your guard, Renji."

Mitsuki looked up at the new voice and saw a raven haired male who resembled Rukia. _Her brother, perhaps? They look enough alike._

"Kuchiki-Taichou." Renji said.

_So I was right._

"That boy, Kurosaki Ichigo... I thought I had seen him somewhere. I got a report the other day from the Secret Remote Squad. He injured the Menos Grande quite seriously and forced it to return to Hueco Mundo." the raven stated.

Renji burst into laughter. "What a laugh! The quality of the Secret Remote Squad has really deteriorated lately. This kid? Wounded a Menos Grande? Who'd believe such a story?! I mean, Taichou, take a look! At his Zanpakuto! It's just big and pitifully-"

A punch in the jaw cut him off, sending him crashing to the ground. He looked up in shock, meeting the furious amber-brown eyes of Mitsuki. She sneered at him.

"You're an arrogant bastard, aren't you?" she spat. "Continue to insult my little brother, and you'll find out just why more than half my school fears my wrath."

"Mitsuki,"

"Hn," was the only response she gave her brother, who rolled his eyes.

"I am capable of taking care of my self, Suki-nee."

"I know. But I _hate_ guys like him. They're the reason I usually go for girls."

Renji growled and shot to his feet. "Roar, Zabimaru!"

Mitsuki blinked in shock when his sword transformed. "Holy shit."

Ichigo shoved his sister out of the way and blocked the attack. Or tried too. Mitsuki's eyes widened in horror when he lost his grip on his sword and Renji sunk deeply into his left shoulder, before it was harshly yanked free.

"It's all over, punk. You will lose to Abari Renji... and die at this spot!"

Mitsuki whimpered when her brother fell to his knees, wanting to run to his side, but was frozen from fear.

"Sorry, kid. But that's what's know as a difference in strength. The Zanpakuto changes in size and shape depending of it's wielder's spiritual energy. And this is the manifestation of my spiritual energy! Well kid, I think it's about time I got going. I don't like the air here. Are you ready?"

No response.

"No answer?"

Mitsuki jerked when she saw Rukia jump on Renji, preventing him from attacking. What happened next, she couldn't even describe. Ichigo's spiritual energy spiked considerably, putting the redhead on edge, as he fought back. Pride swelled in her chest as she watched him hold his own. Pride that soon turned to fear and terror when his sword was broken and blood started to come from his abdomen and chest.

"No! Otōto!" She sprinted to his side and gathered him in her arms, tears falling silently down her cheeks. She rocked back and forth, clutching him to her chest as she ignored the other three completely. "Ichi. Please, _please_ don't die. I-I can't lose you too." she sobbed brokenly.

"Don't... cry,Su-suki. Y-you know... I ha-ate it... when you cr-ry."

Mitsuki gave her brother a watery smile, another sob escaping. "Please don't leave me, Otōto. I can't lose another person I love."

Ichigo coughed, taking in a gasping breath. "I won't... le-ave yo-ou."

Mitsuki nodded, more tears falling. "No, you won't. Because you're too strong to die." she kissed his forehead before gently setting him down, not even acknowledging the rain as it hit her, soaking her to the bone.

She lunged at the Kuchiki male, startling him as he hadn't expected it, and clutched his shihakusho in tight fists, glaring fiercely at him. He stared back expressionlessly, his eyes cold as steel. She snarled.

"If he dies, I will spend the rest of my days hunting you down, you bastard, and end your life slowly and painfully with my bare hands." She hissed, jerking him closer. "No one, and I repeat _no_ _one_, threatens my family and gets away with it."

A spark of interest drifted through the raven's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Release me, girl."

Mitsuki released him. Then promptly head-butted him right in the nose.

Byakuya's eyes widened and he clutched his now broken nose, staring at the 'human' in front of him with disbelief.

"_That_ was for my brother." She picked up Ichigo's broken sword, seeing Rukia's brother tense, and threw it like a dagger at Renji, watching in satisfaction as he cried out as it sunk into his side. "And _that_ was for Uryuu."

"Enough, Mitsuki."

Said female looked at Rukia, her eyes sad. "Nothing we do or say will stop your return to Soul Society, will it?"

Rukia's eyes welled with tears. "No, it won't."

She nodded and walked up to her, suddenly pulling her into a tight embrace and firmly planting her lips on the other female's. Rukia froze in shock before she hesitantly returned the kiss, which Mitsuki pulled back from a couple moments later, aware of the stunned gazes from the two Death gods.

"Just in case we don't get there in time." the bluenette whispered into her ear before drawing away completely. "I'll miss you, Ru."

"I'll miss you, too, Mitsuki."

Mitsuki wiped her eyes and went to her brother's side as the three soul reapers left, returning to Soul Society. New tears gathered in her eyes as she brushed a few strands of hair out of her brother's face.

"We'll save her, Ichi. Together." The familiar sound of clacking got her attention and her head shot up, a relieved smile on her face. "Urahara!" she yelled, running into his arms and hugging him tightly, much to his surprise. "You can save them, right?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"I can. Take Ichigo to the store while I get the Quincy." he told her.

She nodded and picked her brother up before she sprinted to the Urahara Shoten at her fastest speed, surprising the blonde man. He blinked after her, tilting his head to the side.

_' Just what are you, Miss Kurosaki?'_

_/_

Yelling awoke Mitsuki from her slumber the next day. Blinking her eyes open, she rolled onto her side, shooting to her feet when she saw Ichigo sitting up and talking to Urahara, Tessai in a corner. She body tackled her brother, hugging him tightly.

"You're okay!"

Ichigo grunted and hugged her back. "I'm fine. Nice job on Rukia's bastard of a brother, by the way. I saw you break his nose."

Mitsuki laughed at the praise and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you feel better. I was worried you wouldn't make it."

He hugged her reassuringly, kissing the top of her head. "I'm here, Suki, alive and well. Where is here, anyhow?"

"Hm? Oh, this is Urahara's home."

"So you saved me?" Ichigo asked the shopkeeper, gingerly touching his aching shoulder.

"Mm, in a way." Urahara said, waving his fan.

"Oh, yeah... Ishida was there, too. What happened to him? Is he here, too?"

"No, he went home. He lost a lot of blood, but his wounds weren't too serious. Even if he lay there like that, he wouldn't have died for a couple of days. So I was able to treat most of his wounds there. He was worried about you and Kurosaki-san when he left, Kurosaki-kun." Urahara explained to the orange haired teen.

Ichigo scoffed. "Ishida? No way!"

"I asked him to rest here awhile..." Urahara continued as if Ichigo hadn't spoken, telling them what Uryuu had told him.

"Only us?" Ichigo repeated. "What does he expect us to do? Rukia has gone back to the Soul Society. How do I go after her? How do I save her? No way can I -_we_\- do that... No way!"

"Do you really believe that? There's a way to get to the Soul Society..."

"There's a way?" Ichigo repeated, hope in his eyes.

"How do we get there?" Mitsuki demanded.

"Of course, I'll tell you. But there's one condition." Urahara told them.

"Condition?" Mitsuki and Ichigo parroted.

"Yes. For the next ten days, study how to fight with me."

"S-study?! What? You want us to train? We don't have time! Rukia may be executed over there at any time!"

"Ichigo," Mitsuki got her brother's attention. "I'm sure Urahara knows what he's doing. There's a reason he wants us to train. You-you may not have realized it yet, but you're no longer a Soul Reaper." she told him the last bit with a sad expression.

Urahara nodded. "Kurosaki-san is right. If you go there now, you will die." He told the orangette seriously. "Can you beat them? If you fought with them now? This time, I let you try and fight them. That's because I figured you would understand that better than words. With your level of strength now, you won't be of any good in the Soul Society. You are weak. A weak person entering the enemies den... that's called suicide. You want to save Rukia? Don't make me laugh. Don't use others as a reason for walking straight into Death's arms.

Urahara stood. "The Soul Society usually has a one-month waiting period before an execution. This holds true in Rukia's case, too."

"Execution?!"

"It's different form the way humans are executed, though. I have ten days to bully you two. Then seven days to open the gate to Soul Society. And 13 days after we arrive in Soul Society. We will have lots of time." the blonde informed them.

"Can we become stronger in ten days?" Ichigo asked him.

"Certainly! That is if you truly wish to save Rukia from the bottom of your hearts. Your feelings are stronger than steel. Abandon any doubt you have. Ten days. Can you play a game of life and death with me?"

"Of course!" was the response from both siblings.

Urahara grinned.

/

Mitsuki let out a startled yelled when she was suddenly pushed out of her body via Urahara's cane, crashing to the ground a few feet away from her and Ichigo's bodies. "Shit," she groaned out, sitting up. "A warning would've been nice." she grumbled, but went ignored.

"Hard to breathe, huh? When you're in the form of a soul." Urahara asked Ichigo. "Right now, your Soul Sleep, which is the wellbeing of your spiritual energy, and the Soul Chain, the booster, have been destroyed, Kurosaki-kun. In other words, your soul is like that of the average person who has no spiritual power. So first, we must restore the spiritual power you have lost."

"Then what do I do?!" Ichigo demanded.

"Well, rather than explain it, why don't we just do it? Hey, are you ready?" he suddenly called to someone.

Mitsuki blinked when she saw the little girl in pink and white, equipment piled on her skirt.

"Nice to see you." the girl said in a quiet voice.

"... She's adorable." Mitsuki cooed under her breath.

"Lesson one! Please fight her." Urahara stated.

Ichigo gaped. "Huh?!"

"The rules are simple. Lesson One will be over once either on of you are rendered immobile. Please knock her out." the blonde continued.

Ichigo whirled on him. "Are you kidding?! You expect me to hit a little girl like her?" he asked him incredulously.

"I think it'll be quite difficult."

The little girl suddenly tossed the orange haired teen head gear and gloves. "Please put those on properly. Otherwise, you'll die." she said and did a punch.

"Aw! She's so cute! Can I adopt her, Hat n' Clogs?" Mitsuki asked the shopkeeper, who arched an eyebrow at her, as she ignored her brother, who was now being chased by the little girl.

The redheaded kid, Jinta if Mitsuki's memory was correct, scoffed. "Why would you want her if you could have me?" he asked arrogantly.

Mitsuki stared at him. "... Are you related to that Abari bastard? Cuz you two have similar attitudes."

Jinta scowled at her.

She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug. "You can be my new little brother. How's that?"

The kid stared at her, a thoughtful look on his face. "... Fine." he finally mumbled out.

She beamed. "Kay. I'm Mitsuki, by the way, but you can call me Suki, if you want."

"Jinta."

She ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance.

"Hey! How do I put this on?!" Ichigo suddenly yelled to Urahara.

"Ichigo, your forehead! Your forehead!" the shopkeeper yelled back.

"Huh? Like this?" Ichigo stopped, putting the head gear against his forehead.

"And then, you yell as loud as you can: Take this! Power of Justice! Armor of Justice! Justice Headband! In place!"

"Okay, got it! Awright! As if I can do that!"

Mitsuki snickered, knowing that Urahara was messing with her brother. She burst into peels of laughter when her brother actually yelled out, almost screaming, what the blonde told him too. She stopped, though, when she saw her brother dodge one of the girl's attacks and started throwing his own punches, which the girl easily avoided. Her eyes widened in shock when the girl kicked her brother in the face, sending him flying. She ran to Ichigo's side, looking for any injuries. Her brother glanced at Urahara, a determined look on his face.

"One more time, please."

"Congratulations!" Urahara exclaimed, making the orangette blink.

"Huh?"

"Lesson One is cleared!"

"Huh? Why? I lost to her, didn't I?"

"Oh, I didn't say a thing about downing Ururu to clear Lesson One."

"But..."

"After all, she has the fighting skills to counter Soul Reapers. No way can a human soul beat her. By the way, are you still having trouble breathing?"

Ichigo jerked. "Huh? Now that you mention it..." he started with shock.

"Which means, the restoration of your spiritual energy was successful. This lesson was for one-shot battles. Whether you could dodge the first attack or not. Spiritual energy increases fastest when the soul is in danger of being destroyed. If you can raise your spiritual energy sufficiently, then you can dodge the punch and it's all good!" Urahara stated.

"And if I can't..."

"You'll die."

Both Mitsuki and Ichigo glared at him.

"Why didn't you say so first?!" the orangette yelled, hands clenched into fists.

Urahara smiled at him. "I had faith in you... that you would succeed." The shopkeeper straightened. "Now then, your spiritual energy is back. So... let's celebrate and..."

Mitsuki and Ichigo jerked with surprise and shock when a giant axe came down and cut through their chain of fates. Mitsuki gaped at Tessai, who was the one to bring down the axe.

"Huh?!" Ichigo gasped in horror and confusion.

"Go straight to Lesson Two!" Urahara finished, smiling widely.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

"We're gonna die!" Ichigo ground out with a scowl as Tessai sat perched on his back.

"Precisely." Urahara said, waving his fan. "Once the Chain of Fate is broken, you can no longer return to your physical body. You'll just die."

Mitsuki growled at him, the sound almost animalistic. "Quit talkin' like it doesn't matter, dipshit!"

Urahara smiled at her. "Then, let me tell you something that does. The chain will begin the Encroachment at the point of severance. And when it reaches your chest, you will become a Hollow... and it will be the end."

"What?!"

Urahara snapped his fan closed and pointed it at them. "If you two don't want to become Hollows, you must become Soul Reapers! Once you clear Lesson Two, you'll gain the powers of a Soul Reaper! Which you choose is your decision."

"Hah! You don't even have to ask us that!" Ichigo smirked.

Urahara returned it. "Okay! Then let's do it." He pointed at something and called out, "Go!"

The ground beneath Ichigo, who still had Tessai on his back, and Mitsuki, who promptly screamed as they fell down a very deep, dark hole. The hybrid let out a groan of pain when she hit the bottom of the hole, wincing.

"Owie."

She went to sit up, only to discover that her arms were bound behind her. She turned her attention to her brother, who was in the same predicament. She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Wha...?! What are these?!" Ichigo yelled a tad hysterically.

"Binding Spell 99- Restrict!" they heard Tessai say. "It was bold of me, but until this lesson is over, your arms shall be sealed."

Mitsuki couldn't stop the chuckles that escaped as she saw the way her brother maneuvered himself so he was sitting upright, his butt up in the air. He glowered at her.

"I'd like to see you do better." he scowled.

Mitsuki rolled onto her back, which was uncomfortable, and used the muscles in her upper torso to get upright. Ichigo's scowl deepened.

"Ichigo! Mitsuki!" Urahara's voice reached them, making them look up. "Climb back up here in that condition. That is the lesson... otherwise called Shattered Shaft."

Ichigo growled. "Idiot! As if we can do such a thing?!"

I don't think you have time to wonder whether you can or not."

Mitsuki and Ichigo looked down at their severed Chain Of Fates and screamed when they saw the teeth at the ends, chewing through the metal.

"At the bottom of the Shattered Shaft, you have 72 hours, or three days, before the chain is completely Encroached. You two must come back up here as a Soul Reaper before the time is up. Otherwise, we'll have to kill you."

Mitsuki and Ichigo shared horrified looks.

/

When Mitsuki opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a starry night sky and a full moon. She blinked in confusion. _'How... how did I get here? I remember pain, as I resisted becoming a Hollow, but that's it. Wait, I was turning into a Hollow, so how am I still human? Unless...'_ Sitting up, she glanced around. She was in a clearing in the middle of a forest blanketed in white snow, a mountain a few miles to her left. A large willow tree stood a few feet away from her. She started when she saw the two people sitting at the base of the tree; one male and one female. The male wore leather pants and boots, a white shirt, and a black furred coat with a wolf's head as the hood. His hair was darker than the night sky, his eyes a stormy grey, and his skin a nice sun-kissed, golden color. The woman, however, was almost the opposite. She wore a white hooded jumpsuit adorned with silvery grey wolves along the V neckline and blue straps around the legs matched the long black fingerless gloves. A blue garter attached with hoops was on her left thigh and a blue sash accentuated her waist. A white mask covered the lower half of her face. Her hair was a light aquamarine, her eyes a pale green, and her skin the color of ivory. Both looked only a bit older than her and were a beautiful pair.

"Um, hello." she waved to them.

They said nothing, merely stared at her.

She furrowed her eyebrows until a thought hit her. "Are... are you my Zanpakuto?" she asked hesitantly. She remembered Abari mentioning that Zanpakuto had names, so, what if they were sentiment and actually spirits or something? It was worth a shot.

The male smiled at her. "You always were intelligent."

"So, I'm right? And if so, why are there two of you?"

"You'll find out, once you call out our names." the female spoke, her voice delicate and like wind chimes.

"Your names?"

They nodded.

"What are you're names then?"

The male stepped forward. "I am called... _Reitō_ _Urufu_." the name was nothing more than a barely audible whisper, even to Mitsuki's ears.

"R-Reitō Urufu?" she repeated uncertainly, wondering if she got it wrong. "Frozen Wolf?"

The man grinned. "You heard me."

Blue eyebrows furrowed. "Was I not supposed to?"

A musical laugh echoed through the air. "Some, or half, don't, hear their Zanpakutou's names right away. Anyway, I am... _Aishī_ _shi_."

Again the name was a whisper, but she still heard it. She smirked. "Icy Death, huh? Figures."

Aishī shi laughed again. "It's a fitting name for one of your Zanpakutou's, no? After what you did to those four Hollows."

"You two are based off my demon side, aren't you?"

Reitō smiled and nodded. "Your demon side is a part of you, your soul."

Suddenly, white boxes fell from the sky.

"Wha?"

"In one of these boxes is your Soul Reaper power." Reitō stated.

"Find it, and you will become a Soul Reaper. If you don't, you'll become a Hollow." Aishī informed her.

Mitsuki nodded. "Well, I remember Uryuu saying that a Soul Reaper's spirit thread is red, so I just have to find the red thread, right?" the moment she finished saying that, spirit threads appeared on the boxes.

"I am pleased you are my wielder." Aishī told her, her eyes bright.

"You will not disappoint us." Reitō added.

Mitsuki beamed at them before she studied the boxes. Catching a glimpse of red, she turned her head slightly, spotting the box connected to a red ribbon and quickly approached it as the lid fell open. Seeing the two handles, she grabbed them -and pulled.

/

When Mitsuki opened her eyes, she found herself back in the underground cavern, and out of that damned hole. A katana was in one hand while a cracked hollow mask resembling a wolf with three black lines going vertically down each eye was in the other. She started when she realized that would have been her hollow mask. Clapping caught her attention.

"Congratulations!" Urahara grinned at them. "You went and became Soul Reapers! Well done! Lesson Two cleared!"

Ichigo's eye twitched and he scowled at the blonde. "Shut up!" he hit the shopkeeper in the face with the hilt of his broken sword, making Mitsuki snicker. "Hah! Your number is up now that I've came back alive! I swore that when I got out of the hole alive, I'd kill you without fail!"

Urahara looked up at him. "Perfect timing." he said, standing. "With that spirit, we'll go right into Lesson Three."

Ichigo and Mitsuki's eyes twitched, annoyance and irritation in their eyes as they mentally planned the blonde's death.

"Lesson Three has no time limit at all." Urahara continued. If you can use your Zanpakutou to knock off my hat, then the lesson will be cleared."

Ichigo swung his broken sword not even a second after the blonde had finished his sentence, nicking the white and green hat. Urahara's eyes widened the slightest bit. Mitsuki smirked at him.

"Not bad, considering your Zanpakutou is broken."

Ichigo pointed said broken sword at him. "Of course! And I haven't really gotten down to business yet! No time limit, huh? Forget that. Let's end this in five minutes."

"Sounds good. Five minutes..." he started, pulling a sword out of his cane. "And we'll end this, huh?"

"... I was not expecting that." Mitsuki muttered to herself.

/

Mitsuki cursed as she dodged another swing from the blonde shopkeeper, flipping onto a nearby rock. Letting out a growl, she glared darkly at the male. She hadn't once landed a hit on the man, and it was starting to irritate her.

_'Call out our names, Mitsuki. Use us.'_ she heard Aishī shi's voice whisper through her head.

Giving a firm nod, Mitsuki clutched the katana tightly and pointed it at Urahara, her spiritual power curling around her. "Aishī shi! Reitō Urufu!" she yelled.

Her powers spiked to incredible heights, her body glowing and surrounded by a bright blue light. When it disappeared, Mitsuki held a 27" two tone Ninja machete blade in each hand, the blade of the machete in her left hand an onyx black and the blade in her right a silver steel. It was easy to guess which name belonged to her Zanpakutous'. She made a wide slashing motion at Urahara, who's eyes had widened, with the silver blade, followed by another by the black blade, and watched with interest as six long, deadly sharp icicle shards shot his way. He dodged the first five, but the sixth got the edge of his hat, effectively knocking it off. She grinned.

"Well, I think I passed this lesson." she winked at the blonde, hopping off the rock.

"Quite." Urahara blinked, placing his hat atop his head again. "Your turn, Ichigo." He focused his attention on the orangette, who scowled at him.

Mitsuki approached the other three in the underground cavern and sat beside Ururu, yawning. "I could go for a nap." she murmured, stretching, before falling unconious into a deep slumber seconds later.

/

Mitsuki sat on Ichigo's bed, leaning against the wall as she waited for the clock to say _'1:00am'. _Her and Ichigo's training with Urahara had ended seven days ago and the two teens had been waiting for the shopkeeper to prepare the gate for their arrival to Soul Society. In those seven days, the bluenette spent most of her time with either Yuzu and Karin, or in her 'Inner World' with Aishī and Reitō. She had been beyond happy when she discovered that she could retreat into her mind to talk with them face to face via meditation. A whish of wind and a loud splatting noise jolted her from her thoughts and her head shot up.

"Wha?" She blinked at the message. '_Please come to the front of Urahara Shoten immediately._' "... How the hell did he create that? It's kinda cool."

Ichigo gave her an incredulous look. "This looks like a dying message at a murder scene!" He freaked out, yelling. He paused, though, when more was added to the message. "What the... P.S.?"

_"P.S., if you thought this was 'like a dying message' or something common like that... you have no sense of humor!"_

"Tch. Let's go." he grumbled.

She laughed and climbed to her feet, heading out of his room and down the stairs, where she slipped her shoes on. She waited for her brother to put his on before she exited the house.

"Well, Yuzu, Karin,... Dad..." Ichigo began, muttering to himself.

"Good morning!" their father's voice reached their eyes, coming from above.

Both Mitsuki and Ichigo side-stepped as their father leapt off the roof, crashing into the ground.

"Dodging that attack... you ARE my son and daughter after all!"

"What the hell are you up to?" Ichigo demanded.

"B-before you leave, I want to give you this." Isshin held up an amulet toward Ichigo, who took it with narrowed eyes.

"What is this amulet... so dirty."

"How dare you call it dirty! Your mother gave it to me long ago! It is filled with luck and divine grace!"

"W-what are you doing?! I can't take this!" Ichigo yelled at his father, while Mitsuki kept silent, not wanting to get in between the fight that might break out.

"Damn right! Who'd give it to you?! Who?!" Isshin suddenly straightened, an almost serious look on his face. "I'm just going to lend it to you during your trip. After you return, give it back! Here! What do you say?! You give it back, you hear?! I'll shave if you lose it!"

Mitsuki wasn't so sure that would be a bad thing. "You should shave anyway."

"Oh... yeah... We're off then." Ichigo began walking down the sidewalk.

"Right." Isshin nodded.

Mitsuki dashed into her father's arms, hugging him tightly for a moment. "I'll miss you, Pa." she whispered to him before running after Ichigo.

Isshin smiled after them, though the worry was clear in his eyes.

/

"Oh, Kurosaki-kun. Kurosaki-san. Right on time! Good, good." Urahara exclaimed as the siblings approached him, their eyes on Chad.

"Chad, why are you here?" Ichigo asked his best friend.

"Kuchiki Rukia once saved me. I'm going, too." Chad told them.

"Huh? What?!"

Mitsuki ignored her brother and smiled at Chad. "I'm glad you're coming with us, Chado."

The tall Spanish/Japanese teen nodded at her.

"What? You didn't hear?"

The blunette jumped at the sound of Uryuu's voice and whirled around, eyes wide. "Ury?"

"Ishida?!"

"No way will I remain defeated by those Soul Reapers. I'm going, too."

"Now we're all here."

Mitsuki and Ichigo turned to see Orihime. "Orihime!"

"Please look after me." Orihime bowed at them.

"Huh? Hey, what's going on?" Ichigo demanded.

Mitsuki sighed. "Isn't it obvious, Ichi? They're all coming with us. We won't be alone when we go rescue Ru."

"She's right. Pretty slow on the up-take, aren't you, Kurosaki-kun?" a black cat said as she (Mitsuki could tell by scent that the cat was female, just with a male voice) approached them. "Kid, don't tell me you didn't notice the increase in the hidden powers of these three. While you and Kurosaki-san were training to gain your Soul Reaper powers, these three were training in their own way. Instead of critizing, bow your head and thank them." the cat continued, staring Ichigo, who had an utterly stunned look on his face, down.

Mitsuki couldn't take it anymore. Like Chad, she had a weakness for cute things. She snatched the cat up into her arms and rubbed it's cheek against her's, scratching behind it's ear. "You're so cute! And such pretty eyes!" she cooed, the cat turning into a purring puddle of goo under her fingers.

"A... A cat just spoke!" Ichigo yelled, freaking out for the second time in one night.

Mitsuki and Yoruichi ignored him, the blunette continuing with her petting. "I'm Mitsuki, pretty one."

"I am Yoruichi."

"Mm. Can I keep you?"

"No, you may not."

Mitsuki pouted.

Clapping got everyone's attention. "We can't keep talking outside. Let's go inside." Urahara told them.

Mitsuki entered straight away, keeping Yoruichi in her arms and snuggled to her chest, heading straight down into the underground cavern. She looked down at the animal in her arms. "You're not a normal cat. I mean, you can talk, yes, but there's something else. I mean, even your scent is different."

The cat blinked at her with shock.

The hybrid eyed her. "Are you a shinigami, as well? Can shinigami even turn into animals? Anyway, I can sense you're spiritual power."

Musical laughter filled her mind. _'You really are too smart and perceptive for your own good.'_

Mitsuki grinned. _'You flatter me so, Aishī.'_

A snort. _'You would take that as a compliment.'_

_'But of course.'_

"Suki?"

Mitsuki blinked and turned to her brother. "Hm?"

"You okay? You zoned out a bit, there."

"Oh, I was talking to Aishī."

Confused looks.

"Who's Aishī?" Orihime asked her.

"Her Zanpakutou, I'm guessing." Urahara spoke up, eyeing Mitsuki with interest.

Mitsuki nodded. "Aishī is my Zanpakutou, yes." '_One of them, at least.'_

"All right, your attention please!" Urahara clapped again (seriously, what was with the clapping?). "Here we go!" he snapped his fingers, a square structure appearing. "This is the gate that leads to the Soul Society. It's known as Senkaimon, which is written, 'Tunnel World Gate'. Now listen very carefully. Before that..." he suddenly ejected Ichigo's soul from his body, quickly doing the same to Mitsuki.

"Oy! At least warn a girl, would you?!" Mitsuki hissed to Urahara irritably as Uryuu caught her body and gently set it down.

"So, Ichigo is no longer inside Ichigo? And Mitsuki is no longer in Mitsuki?" Orihime asked curiously, pointing to Ichigo's body.

Mitsuki sighed, running a hand through her hair, which fell down to her waist.

"Let's continue. This gate has a layer of Reishihenkanki, Spirit-particle Conversion Machine on top of a normal Senkaimon." Urahara explained to them.

"Spirit-particle... Conversion Machine?" Ichigo repeated in confusion.

"Yes. As you already know, the Soul Society is a world of spirits. It is impossible to enter that world unless you have the form of a spirit. However, only Ichigo and Mitsuki, as Soul Reapers, can cross through. So we will use the Henkanki to convert you into to spirits." Urahara continued.

Uryuu narrowed his eyes at the shopkeeper. "In other words... Even without extracting our spirits, by going through this gate..."

"Correct. You will be able to enter the Soul Society like that."

"Okay, got it!" Ichigo declared. "Let's-"

Urahara stopped the orange haired teen before he could get far by jabbing him in the side with his cane. "However! The time we have to open the gate and connect it to the Soul Society is... four minutes."

Mitsuki's eyes widened. "Is that enough time?" she asked the man.

"Normally, it would be impossible."

Ichigo's twitch returned. "What?!"

"It's a reckless idea to start with. I'll do my very best and hold it for four minutes. If you can't cross over in that time... you will be trapped forever between the Soul Society and this world." the blonde warned them.

"W-what should we do?" Orihime asked, worry in her eyes.

"Go forward. I told you that the heart and soul are connected. The important thing is what you feel in your heart and the will to move it forward." Yoruichi stated. "I will be your guide. Go forward... Only those who can do that can follow me."

Ichigo stepped forward. "Are you babbling in your sleep or what? That's why we're here!"

Yoruichi looked at him. "You understand, kid, that if you fail, you cannot return."

"So I just have to win, right?"

"Exactly."

A bright light appeared through the gate as it began to open.

"Are you ready? Run in the instant it opens." Urahara told them.

"Right!"

"Let's do it!"

The second it opened, Mitsuki, Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu, Orihimi, and Yoruichi sprinted into the gate.

* * *

**Next chapter, Soul Society! Yay! Finally!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

When they entered the Dangai, Mitsuki didn't know what to expect, but she knew it certainly wasn't what she saw. It was dark and the walls beside and behind them began to collapse, urging them to run faster. Mitsuki began letting loose a mental chain of curses that mixed with Reito and Aishi's yells, telling her to move faster.

"What's happening?!" Ichigo yelled. "The wall is catching up to us!"

"The place we just ran through is collapsing!" Uryuu added, looking over his shoulder.

If you have time to look back, you have time to run!" Yoruichi yelled to them. "It's all over if the Restrictive Current swallows you up!"

Just when Mitsuki was beginning to think they'd make it, Uryuu's cape got stuck in the collapsing walls behind them. Mitsuki let out another string of curses.

"Ishida!" Ichigo yelled, grabbing his sword. "The fool! It's that crazy get-up he has on!"

"Hold it!" Yoruichi demanded. "Don't use your Zanpakutou. The current entangles the spiritual body. If you use your Zanpakutou, you'll get caught too."

Chad stepped forward and ripped Uryuu's cape, effectively breaking him loose from the collapsing wall. Mitsuki fought the urge to burst into laughter when the tall Spanish/Japanese teen tossed the Quincy over his shoulder. The raven haired teen immediately began to struggle, before stopping when he caught sight of something.

"Hey, guys. _Something's_... Something's coming!"

Rays of white light appeared from behind them and a large round object resembling a boulder came out of the collapsing walls. Mitsuki groaned. '_Seriously?! What can't anything be easy for once?!'_

"What is that?!" Uryuu asked, fear flashing through his eyes.

"It's the Cleaner!" Yoruichi called back to them. "It appears once every seven days! And this had to be the day! Anyway, run! It's incredibly fast!"

What happened next was a blur, it happened so fast. Mitsuki heard Orihime use her power and was blinded by a bright light before she was thrown out of the tunnel, screaming as she fell through the sky. When she landed on the dirt ground, she let out a groan and opened her eyes -only to let out a series of laughs. Chad had landed crouched on his feet with his arms spread out and Orihime on her knees. Uryuu landed on his chin with his butt up in the air and Ichigo landed on his neck with his butt sticking up in the air, his legs over his head. Mitsuki had landed spread eagle on her stomach with Yoruichi sprawled on her back.

"Wow! Ichigo! The way you land is so artistic!" Orihime complimented the teen with a hug grin, stars in her eyes.

"Shut up!" was the response from the orangette.

Mitsuki sat up, maneuvering Yoruichi into her arms. "You alright, Yoruichi?"

The cat gave a curt nod.

"_Cripes_... That was something else. This is more than I expected." Uryuu grumbled and pulled out a spare cape. "I never thought I'd use my extra cape so soon."

"H-he brought a change of clothes..." Ichigo deadpanned.

"I'm so _glad_... No one seems to be hurt." Orihime smiled.

"What's there to be glad about?!" Yoruichi head-butted her in the eye.

Tears welled up in Orihime's eyes as she held the wounded eye. "Owe!"

"Were you not listening to me?! We're lucky the Restrictive Current made contact with just the shield area. If it had been the Six Flowers themselves, you'd be dead now!" the cat glared at the female.

"I-I'm sorry..." she apologized, eyes on the ground.

Mitsuki drew her into a hug. "It's okay, Hime-chan. We're fine, now, and so are you."

Orihime beamed at her.

"So what? Don't be so hard on her." Ichigo said, fist on his hip. "As it turned out, thanks to Inoue, we came through without a scratch." he defended the girl.

"You do not understand how serious this is." An angry mark formed on the back on Yoruichi's head.

The dust cleared around them and they studied their surroundings, taking in the shacks.

"I-is this Soul Society?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes. This place is known as the Rukon District, the Drifting Spirit Town. This is where souls first live upon coming to Soul Society, and is on the perimeter of Seireitei where Soul Reapers live. It's the poorest place in Soul Society, but also the freest, and has the largest population of souls."

"Then where is everyone?" Mitsuki asked the cat.

"What's that? It looks so different on that side." Ichigo stated, looking at the buildings with yellow roofs.

"Oh, _that_..."

"I got it! That's where the Soul Reapers live... the Sei whatever..." he exclaimed before shooting off towards Seireitei. "Awright!" he yelled, a shit eating grin on his face.

Mitsuki gaped. "Ichigo, you idiot! Get your ass back here!" she yelled after him.

"Y-you fool! Don't get too close!" Yoruichi yelled. "You'll die!"

Ichigo glanced back. "Huh?" he said with a dumbfounded look, though he didn't stop running.

Mitsuki face palmed. "Why? Why doesn't he listen?"

Suddenly, walls came down from above, preventing Ichigo from going any further. Everyone covered their eyes as smoke and debris went flying everywhere when the walls hit the ground.

"It's been a long time... Since someone tried to pass through the Seirei gate without a travel permit. You're a rare guest...Welcome, kid!" a giant boomed at Ichigo. He was extremely large and muscular, and easily towered over all of them. His hair was long and tied into a ponytail and he wore armor on his left shoulder and upper arm, a red hat with gold tassels, and the left side of his chest was exposed by his shihakusho.

Mitsuki blinked. "Who and what is _he_?"

The large, giant of a man slammed his axe down, sending more dust and debris flying. "Jidanbo will be there. Now come at me from anywhere... Kid!"

"So huge! Who is he?! He's too big to be human! Just what is he?" Uryuu asked aloud.

"His name is Jindanbo." Yoruichi told them. "He was chosen from among the best in Soul Society to guard the White Road Gate, one of the four gates of Seirei."

"Guard?" Mitsuki repeated. "So we have to beat him to get inside?"

"Yes, but that won't be an easy task. In the 300 years that he's been on duty, no one has been able to break through the White Road Gate. He is legendary for his power and strength." the cat informed them.

"Which means we're fucked unless Ichigo defeats him. Nice to know." Mitsuki sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and shooting her brother a worried glance. She froze when she saw Chad and Orihime running towards him. "Chad! Orihime! What the hell are you doing?!" she roared, chasing after them.

Seeing their approach, Jindanbo slammed his axe down at the concrete and used it and his strength to create a concrete wall, separating them from the orange haired teen. "I don't like your manners. You must be country bumpkins. Now listen up. We have rules in the city. First, wash your hands when you return from outside. Two, don't eat food that's fallen on the floor. Three, when you fight, it's one on one. My first opponent with be that _kid_... with the candy hair. You wait here quietly, until I'm done."

Mitsuki ran a hand through her hair, wondering how she and her friends always got themselves in some type of situation. She shook her head when Chad started scheming with Orihime, only to be heard by the giant.

"Hey! Mitsuki! Chad! Orihime!" they heard Ichigo's voice call to them.

"Ichigo! You hurt, lil' bro?" Mitsuki called back.

"No, I'm alive and kicking."

"That's a relief."

"Wait over there, we're-"

"About that," Ichigo interrupted Orihime. "Can you guys just stay put?"

"Sure thing, Ichi-chan. Don't die, kay? I'd hate to have to explain that to the twins and Pa." Mitsuki told him, almost feeling the eye roll that she knew Ichigo did at her words.

Uryuu ran forward. "No, I refuse! Our time is limited! Instead of just you, we have to attack together, and get going."

"Oh, so your there, Ishida?"

Mitsuki face palmed, sweat dropping.

"I've been here all the time!" was the yelled response from the Quincy. "Quit saying irritating things at a time like this!"

"Can you do it?" Chad asked his best friend, ignoring Uryuu.

"Um... probably."

"Probably?!" Uryuu started pounding on the concrete. "What're you saying?! Do you understand the situation?!"

"Look, don't worry." Ichigo sounded a bit annoyed.

"How can I not worry?!"

"I'll tell you something interesting... My Soul Reaper strength was supposed to be restored in ten full days, the same for Mitsuki. We got them in five. So what do you think we did those remaining five days?"

Mitsuki spoke up, continuing for her brother. "Fighting. For five days and nights, we fought Urahara two on one and one on one. Sometimes and was Ichigo against me, or me against Urahara, or the both of us against him. It was a cycle that constantly rotated. We didn't learn secrets of fighting, like you may think, but stamina and strength."

Mitsuki listened to the fight between her brother and Jindanbo anxiously, unable to really see anything. Seeing the worry on Orihime's face, she wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into her side, giving her a reassuring smile, making the other teen flush a bright pink.

"He'll be fine, Hime-chan. He knows what he's doing."

Orihime nodded, though her worry increased when Jindanbo pulled out another axe. She moved closer to the bluette, her eyes wide. Mitsuki blinked when her brother destroyed the giant's axes, Orihime quickly throwing up a shield to protect them from the flying debris and dust. Jindanbo fell back, his eyes wide. A moment later, he was back on his feet.

"Hah! Man, that was close! I slipped and fell on my butt! Huh? What's that look? I'll bet you think I went flying! Hah! What're you saying? I can't be blown away, never happen! That's why country bumpkins are such a pain. Just wait, I'll use my axes and..." he paused and began trembling when he realized his axes were broken, sweat dripping down his face as he seemed to freeze, going as still as a statue.

"Hey," Ichigo called up to him. "Say something."

"M-my axes! They're broken! They're broken!" he started crying, slamming his fists down on the concrete. "My axes are broken!"

Orihime clung to Mitsuki as the ground shook, the bluette flailing a bit.

Ichigo sweat dropped and scratched the back of his head. "Er... hey... I'm sorry about this. For breaking your axes... I didn't have to break them, I know... Bad of me..."

"Y-you're not bad. You and I are enemies, but you are concerned for me, a loser... What a big heart... You're really great!"

Mitsuki chuckled. "Looks like Ichigo made a new friend." she commented to herself.

A foreboding feeling suddenly entered her stomach and she looked around warily. Whatever happened next wouldn't be good. Her attention returned to Jindanbo when she heard the sound of the gate opening and she gaped when she saw the giant lifting it with his hands, proving how strong he was. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw him freeze.

"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked him, jogging to his side with Ichigo right behind her.

"Something wrong?" Ichigo questioned with confusion and concern.

Mitsuki followed the giant's gaze, tensing when she saw a Soul Reaper who had a chilling grin on his face. "Oh, fuck. Who the hell is that?"

"Captain of Squad 3, Ichimaru Gin." Yoruichi told them.

"Oh, this isn't good." the silver haired captain said, a chilling grin on his face.

Mitsuki tensed and whirled on Jindanbo. "Move, Jindan-"

Blood spattered from the deep and long slice on the giant's arm, the gate falling due to the sudden pain and weakness. Jindanbo was able to catch the gate with his uninjured arm, but was forced onto his knee because of the strain.

"Unacceptable." Ichimaru said, grin still in place. "A guardian of the gate isn't supposed to _open_ the gates."

"Ugh... I lost." the giant stuttered from pain and fear. "Opening the gate is what is expected of a gatekeeper who has lost."

The captain's grin widened. "What are you saying?" he asked, walking toward them. "A gatekeeper who's lost isn't opening any gates. When a gate keeper loses... it means death."

Mitsuki cursed when her brother attacked Ichimaru, who blocked it. "Stand down, Ichigo!"

Ichigo ignored her, instead pointing his sword at the captain. "What the hell are you doing?! Don't come now and try to butt in, you fox face. Anyone who'll attack an unarmed guy will be killed by me!"

"Hah! You're funny, kid. You're not scared of me?"

Mitsuki snorted and moved so she was next to her brother. "You're not scary. Creepy, yes. Scary, no." she commented, gaining the silver haired man's attention.

Ichigo glared at her. "Stay out of this, Mitsuki."

She scowled at him. "Oy! Who are you to tell me what to do, Ichigo! I'm older!"

"But you're still my sister and I don't want you anywhere near this guy."

"I'm fully capable of taking care of myse-"

"So, you are Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo turned to the captain, eyes narrowed. "You know about me?"

"Oh, just as I thought." he turned around and began walking away, much to their confusion.

"Hey! Where're you going?! Hey, wait!"

"All the more reason why I can't let you pass." he stopped and held his blade out.

Mitsuki's eyes widened. "His Zanpakuto."

Ichigo glanced at her. "Huh?"

Ichimaru suddenly whirled around, his spiritual pressure rising, making the wind blow harshly. "Impale him, Shinso!"

The blade suddenly extended at a speed Mitsuki could barely keep track of, heading straight for Ichigo, who blocked it, but was thrown back into Jindanbo, who in turn went flying.

"Ichigo! Jindanbo!" Mitsuki went to run after them, but an arm around her waist stopped her. She tensed, catching a glimpse of silver out of the corner of her eye. "Fuck! Let me go, you fox faced bastard!" she hissed, paling when the gate began to close.

"Mitsuki!"

Ichimaru waved at the others with his free hand, his grip firm on the struggling bluette. "Bye bye!"

And then the gate was shut.

Mitsuki growled and turned in the captain's arms, kneeing him just above the groin. His grip loosened enough where she was able to twist out of it and she turned to him, her hand on the hilt of her Katana. The man grinned at her.

"Ah uh. You won't get away that easily."

"But I will. Aishī shi! Reito Urufu!"

Her spiritual pressure heightened, swirling around her as her Zanpakuto morphed into her two machetes. She slammed the tip of Aishī shi to the ground, eyes focused entirely on Ichimaru, who's head was tilted to the side. Mitsuki was glad she had decided to train with her Zanpakutous more or else she would've been forced to rely on her demon abilities and _that_ would've been bad.

"Freeze the earth, Aishī shi!" Her reitsu flared as ice burst from the blade and froze the ground as it shot towards the stunned captain and snatched him up before pinning him to the side of a building. "Sorry, Ichimaru, but you won't be capturing me today." She sent him a smirk before sprinting off at her fastest speed.

Ichimaru stared after her. "... Interestin'."

_/*Outside Seireitei*/_

"Fuck! What the hell do we do now!" Ichigo yelled, glaring heatedly at the gate. "Mitsuki's stuck in there with that creep!"

Orihime started crying. "W-will he kill her?" she asked Yoruichi.

The cat shook his head. "No. They'll most likely execute her alongside Rukia."

Orihime paled at the thought of her friend and secret crush being executed. She knew many thought she liked Ichigo, but in truth she liked Mitsuki. The bluette was always kind to her and helping her when she needed it. Tatsuki was the only one that knew about her crush.

"We'll have to save her when we save Rukia." Uryuu stated.

Ichigo scowled. "I still don't like the fact that my sister's surrounded by the enemy."

"She'll be fine. She's strong." Chad spoke up.

Ichigo sighed and stared at the gate, sadness in his eyes. "... I hope so. I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

* * *

**Okay, so this story will be a HAREM due to the fact that I've been wanting to write one (I blame Rosario+Vampire, which I've been watching recently). Ichigo will be with guys, but Mitsuki will be with both guys and girls.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

Mitsuki let out a quiet sigh as she walked through Seireitei, staying in the shadows. She had been wondering for over an hour now and had no idea what to do or where to go. It didn't help that the place was built like a maze and everything looked the same or at least similar. Running a hand over her face, she let out a small groan as she rounded yet another corner- only to bump into someone. She froze, amber orbs meeting clear blue one's. The other woman's eyes widened as she took a step back, grabbing the hilt of her sword.

"Your one-"

Mitsuki lunged forward and cupped a hand over the big breasted woman's mouth, dragging her into a corner filled with shadows. "Sh! Listen, I'm not a threat, despite what you may think." she said, glancing at the woman after she scanned the surrounding area and used her heightened hear. No one was near-by, thank kami.

The woman reached up and yanked Mitsuki's hand off her mouth, her eyes narrowed. "Then why are you here?" she demanded with a fierce glare on her face.

Mitsuki studied her, blinking as she took a second to eye the woman. "... You're gorgeous." she blurted.

The woman started, surprised. "... Thank you. You're not too bad yourself." she responded a tad hesitantly, confusion flashing through her eyes.

Mitsuki grinned. "If this were a different scenario, I'd totally ask you out. Anyway," She turned serious. "I'm here to rescue Kuchiki Rukia."

"Res-what? I don't understand."

"Would you be willing to listen?"

The woman eyed her for a tense moment before nodding. "My house isn't that far from here. Follow me." she began walking down the road.

Mitsuki immediately followed her, ducking out of sight whenever she heard someone coming. A few minutes later, she was seated on a maroon floor cushion with a cup of green tea in her hand, the woman on a cushion across from her. She took a sip of the tea, sighing as the heat of it flowed through her body. She smiled at the strawberry blonde, getting comfortable.

"I'm Kurosaki Mitsuki." she told her, deciding to get the introductions out of the way.

"Matsumoto Rangiku, Lieutenant of Squad 10."

"Shit. Really?"

Matsumoto nodded.

"Alright. Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning." Mitsuki took in a deep breath before she continued. "My brother, Ichigo, and I have always been able to see spirits, though we had never seen a Hollow until our family was attacked one night. Rukia had appeared in Ichigo's bedroom, having sensed that the Hollow was near. Ichigo thought she was a burglar and ended up kicking her, which startled her. After getting over the shock that we could see her, she told us about Soul Reapers and Hollows. Then the Hollow attacked. It got to our father and little sisters first, knocking out Pa and landing a hit on Karin. Ichigo and I ran downstairs, despite Rukia's attempts to stop us, and saw our sister Yuzu in the Hollow's grasp. Ichigo attacked it and would have gotten eaten had Rukia not gotten in it's way. She was too injured to fight, so she gave Ichigo that chance to save our family by giving him her powers. After that, he took care of any order that came in with the help of Rukia." Mitsuki explained, staring down into her tea.

Matsumoto frowned. "So your brother didn't steal her powers?"

Mitsuki scoffed. "He's not that type of person. He's the type to sacrifice his life if it meant saving others."

"... How did you become a Soul Reaper?"

Mitsuki looked up, meeting her eyes. "Um, well," she scratched the back of her head. "I had help from a friend. His name's Urahara."

Matsumoto gaped. "Urahara? As in Urahara Kisuke?"

"Mhmm. Why, do you know him?"

"He was captain of Squad 12 before he was branded a traitor and banished from Soul Society."

"Wha? He never told me that!" Mitsuki's eye twitched in annoyance. "Damn Hat n' Clogs." she muttered.

Matsumoto giggled. "'Hat n' Clogs'?" she repeated.

"Yeah. He wears this green and white bucket hat and these clogs all the time. My brother's the one that came up with the nickname."

The blonde nodded and stood up, stretching. Mitsuki didn't even try to be subtle as she eyed up the other woman.

"You can hide out here, just stay out of sight. The others aren't like me and will most likely either kill you or arrest you."

Mitsuki nodded. "Thank you, Matsumoto-san. I really appreciate this."

Masumoto smiled at her. "No problem. And... I'll help you rescue Rukia."

Mitsuki's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? You'd do that? But wouldn't you get in trouble?"

"I'll be fine." the taller woman said reassuringly. "Don't worry. Oh, and you can call me Rangiku, if you like."

"Then call me Mitsuki."

"... So, do you like sake?"

/

The next day, the bluette was awoken by yells and shouts. Groggily opening her eyes, she sat up and glanced around. Rangiku was gone, but that didn't surprise her, and she could hear running feet and shouting coming from outside. Standing, she grabbed her Zanpakuto and slipped out of the house, going for the shadows as she watched the Soul Reapers run around in a panic, yelling about intruders. She smirked. So the others finally found a way in.

She jerked when there was an explosion suddenly from above and looked up, seeing four balls of light shoot off into different directions. She didn't have to guess to know that it was her brother and friends. She could sense their spiritual pressure. She took off after the nearest ball, having a feeling that she'd find Ichigo. Which she did.

Ichigo was currently in a sand hole? with another guy, a look of deep annoyance on his face. Two soul Reapers stood a few feet in front of them. One was bald and tall with a lean build. He had red markings at the outer corner of his eyes and seemed overconfident. The other had red and yellow feathers stuck to his right eyelashes and eyebrow and had lavender eyes, as well as jaw-length black hair. He was slightly feminine looking and had a cocky, stuck up air around him. Mitsuki ignored them and ran at her brother, jumping on and tackling him into the sand.

"Ichi-otōto! You're alive!"

Ichigo blinked in shock before he swooped her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Nee-chan. Thank kami, you're alright. I thought that Ichimaru bastard had arrested or killed you." he said, relief in his voice.

Mitsuki scoffed. "As if. I got away and hid out." she told him, pulling away and climbing out of the sand box. She grimaced and shook out her shihakusho. "Ugh. I have sand in places it _shouldn't_ be." she muttered before turning to the two Soul Reapers with a bright, dazzling smile. "Hello! I'm Kurosaki Mitsuki."

The Soul Reaper with the feathers stared at her with awe. "So gorgeous!" he gushed. "You're a goddess!"

Mitsuki beamed at him. "Oh, you're so sweet! No one's ever said that to me before!" she pulled him into a hug, much to everyone, but Ichigo's, surprise. "You're gorgeous too, by the way. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

The Soul Reaper flushed a bit at her words. "I'm Ayasegawa Yumichika."

She nodded, releasing him, and turned to his friend. "And you are?"

The man blinked at her, confused by her actions. "... Madarame Ikkaku."

"A pleasure, Ikkaku, Yumichika. Now, I can tell you two are confused and asking yourselves why I'm trying to befriend you instead of attacking you, yes?"

Both nodded.

"Well, that's because my friends and I aren't here to attack. We just want Rukia."

Ikkaku's eyebrow arched. "The criminal? Why do you want her?" he asked, his confusion growing.

"She's a friend of mine. Saved my family and I's life a few times. She'd also be a potential girlfriend if she weren't so in love with that Abari prick." Mitsuki stated off-handedly.

"You're a lesbian?" Ikkaku's eyes glazed over while Yumichika seemed to pout.

Mitsuki shook her head. "No, I swing for both teams. Anyway, would you mind telling me what Division this is?"

"This is the Zaraki Squad, or Eleventh Squad."

"Zaraki?"

"Enough with the chit chat, Mitsuki. We have a mission, remember?"

Mitsuki scowled at her brother. "So?! I just wanted to make friends instead of more enemies! If we go around and start attacking officers, they'll get the wrong idea about us!"

Ichigo grumbled to himself, though he understood the logic in her words. "Fine."

She grinned at him. "Glad to see we're on the same page. Now, I'm going to go try and find the others." she told him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before sprinting off.

The four males stared after her, three with shock and one with fondness.

"_That_ was your sister?" Ganju asked the orange head.

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"She's gorgeous."

The teen narrowed his eyes on the other male. "Don't be getting any thoughts about her or I'll kick your ass." he threatened.

"Yo, orange head, who's the strongest in your group?" Ikkaku suddenly asked.

Ichigo blinked. "Uh, it's a tie between my sister and I, I think. And my name's Ichigo, not orange head."

"Hn, then you better watch out for our captain. He'll be searching for a fight with either one of you."

Ichigo frowned and glanced in the direction his sister just ran off in with worry. "She can handle herself, so she'll be fine... Hopefully."

/

Mitsuki let out a groan as she came to a stop, looking around. She'd been running around for who knows how long, evading shinigami here and there, and so far she hadn't come across any familiar faces. Not to mention she was continuously getting lost. Sighing, she looked around, not spotting and sensing anyone nearby. Scowling, she punched a wall, leaving behind a rather deep crater and many cracks.

"Just where the hell am I?! Fucking shit, this place is like a damned maze!" she growled.

"Well, well, looky who we have here."

Mitsuki tensed at that voice and slowly looked over her shoulder, her eyebrow twitching. "_You_." How had she not sensed him?!

Ichimaru waved cheerfully at her, the brunette beside him staring at her calculatingly. "Hello, Mits-chan!"

Her eye twitched again. "Ichimaru. I was so hoping I wouldn't see you again."

The Soul Reaper pouted. "Tha's mean."

She rolled her eyes, turning so she was facing them completely. "Who's the dude beside you? Another Taichou?" she asked a bit warily. Something about the guy put her on edge.

A small, half smirk formed on the brunette's lips. "Smart girl. I'm Aizen Sousuke, Captain on the Fifth Division."

"Kurosaki Mitsuki, but I'm sure you already knew that." she told him, straightening as she got a serious look on her face. "So, are you two here to fight or capture me?"

"Not at all, not at all." Ichimaru grinned at her.

She eyed him skeptically. "I don't believe you."

"We're not here to fight, Kurosaki-san. I just find myself curious about you and the rest of the ryoka." Aizen smiled charmingly at her.

She eyed him. "Is that so?" she asked him skeptically.

"Hm." the brunette nodded.

She was about to say something when she suddenly felt her brother's spiritual pressure spike, feeling very similar to that time with Urahara. Worry washed through her. She knew her brother was fighting that Abari prick, having felt their reiatsu clash. Was her brother okay? Kami, she hoped so.

"Sorry, but I gotta go! Bye!" she called to the two Taichous before disappearing down the street in a blink of an eye.

Aizen stared after her. "That wasn't shunpo." he stated contemplatively after a moment of silence.

"Hm. She's interestin', right?"

"Very."

"Beautiful, too." Ichimaru glanced at Aizen, grin still in place.

Aizen arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you attracted to her, Gin?"

"Hm, I'm more interested in her brother."

Aizen didn't look surprised. "Lets get back. I have plans to set in motion."

/

Mitsuki reached the area her brother was in just in time to see him being carried away by a guy dressed in green and black with a short male from the forth division behind him with Ichigo's sword. Perched on the rocks, Mitsuki saw the destruction clearly, her eyes widening slightly when she caught sight of who could only be Abari.

"Holy shit. He really did a number on you, didn't he?" she muttered to herself, turning her head when she heard footsteps.

She eyed the four soul reapers, her eyes falling on the one with blonde hair. Judging by the amount of spiritual pressure he had, he was most likely a high ranked official.

"Hey! Who are you?!"

Mitsuki's gaze snapped to the two beside Abari and she cursed when she noticed one was looking directly at her. Not for the first time, she cursed her blue hair. It made her so easy to spot, especially when she didn't want to be seen. The other three turned their attention to her and she tensed.

"Fuck. Um, I come in peace?" she called, smiling nervously. She really didn't want to fight anyone. She just wanted to get Rukia and go.

"She one of the Ryoka!" one of the brunette's yelled, grabbing his sword. "You did this to Abari-san!"

She glared at the guy. "Hey! Don't go making accusations when you don't have any proof, asshole!" she yelled, dodging the sword of a darker haired shinigami. She leapt down off the rocks, landing swiftly in a crouch 10 feet away from the blonde, who she narrowed her eyes at. "Look, I seriously don't want a fight, but I _will_ defend myself if I have to and I assure you, you won't like the results."

"Your orders, Lieutenant Kira." the male beside the blonde said.

"Arrest her. Use force if necessary." the blonde, Kira, told the men.

"Yes, sir!"

Mitsuki growled and took out her sword, getting in a ready stance. One of the men lunged at her, but she sent him flying with a well-aimed, powerful kick to the chest. Another one almost managed to slice her with his sword, but she blocked it in time and lunged at him, doing a swift and powerful uppercut to his chin, followed by a slash of her sword. Her blade cut through his chest, leaving behind a deep and long gash. Turning to the other two males, she tightened her grip on her Zanpakuto.

"Instead of fighting me, you should really be getting Abari somewhere to be healed." she stated, glancing at said redhead before locking eyes with Kira. "We didn't come here to fight. Actually, it should be pretty obvious as to what we want. If you haven't figured it out yet, then you're all idiots." she told them before sprinting off, disappearing in a barely visible blur of blue and black.


End file.
